Water supply and sanitation in Israel are intricately linked to the historical development of Israel , because rain falls only in the winter, and largely in the northern part of the country.
Irrigation and water engineering are considered vital to the country's economic survival and growth. Large scale projects to desalinate seawater, direct water from rivers and reservoirs in the north, make optimal use of groundwater, and reclaim flood overflow and sewage have been undertaken. Among them is the National Water Carrier , carrying water from the country's biggest freshwater lake, the Sea of Galilee , to the northern part of the Negev desert through channels, pipes and tunnels.
Thus, in an average year, Israel relies for about half of its water supply from unconventional water resources, including reclaimed water and desalination. A particularly long drought in β had prompted the government to promote large-scale seawater desalination.
The by far largest part of drinkable water is being produced nowadays by desalination of seawater obtained from the Mediterranean Sea. The Upper Jordan River flows south into the freshwater lake known as the Sea of Galilee , which provides the largest freshwater storage capacity along the Jordan River.
A tributary of the Jordan River south of the lake is the Yarmouk River. The main aquifers , or groundwater basins, are the Mountain Aquifer and the Coastal Aquifer, with smaller, regional aquifers in the Galilee and the Negev.
