Israel's Desalination Reliance Exposes Water Quality and Mineral Deficiencies
Israel's heavy reliance on desalinated water leaves drinking water stripped of essential minerals like magnesium and iodine, sparking public health concerns as regulatory bodies lag behind.
Israel's absolute dependence on desalinated water has exposed the vulnerability of its water sector following the shutdown of desalination plants due to an algal bloom, while also reviving a familiar problem: desalinated water lacks health-essential minerals such as iodine and magnesium because they are removed during the filtration process. For decades, authorities have delayed addressing this situation.
The world is facing an unprecedented water crisis. The World Resources Institute's Aqueduct index found that 25 countries, home to a quarter of the global population, face extreme water stress annually and regularly consume almost all their available water. At least half of the global population—about 4 billion people—lives under high water stress conditions for at least one month a year. In these countries, even a brief drought forces governments to shut off the taps. Israel ranks high on the list, in ninth position.
This means that Israel's natural water sources, the Sea of Galilee and groundwater, are alone incapable of meeting the country's needs. Furthermore, Israel has begun pumping desalinated water into the Sea of Galilee after last winter saw only 50% to 65% of average rainfall in the north. In addition, temperatures in the region are projected to rise by about 4°C by the end of the century, and annual precipitation is expected to drop by 25%. Against this backdrop, desalination is clearly vital for Israel's water economy.
The Role of Desalination and Its Environmental Toll
Six desalination plants provide about 800 million cubic meters of water annually, accounting for 70% to 80% of the country's drinking water, and a seventh plant in the Western Galilee is slated to begin operations in 2027, adding another 100 million cubic meters. However, desalination brings its own set of challenges.
First, large-scale plants cause significant environmental pollution, consuming massive amounts of electricity and often built alongside polluting power plants (in 2019, desalination plants consumed about 3% of Israel's electricity, mostly produced from polluting fossil fuels). Second, the facilities harm the marine environment by discharging saline brine back into the sea and warming the water. Most importantly, however, is the filtration of essential minerals.
The desalination process removes not only salt but also minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and iodine. Calcium is returned to the water, primarily to prevent damage to pipes, but magnesium and iodine are left out. When Israel was compared to 13 other countries with high consumption of desalinated water, only Israel and Lebanon had median iodine levels below the World Health Organization's normal range, and Israel is the only country in the group without a national salt iodization policy.
Iodine Deficiency and Public Health Risks
According to surveys conducted by the Ministry of Health in 2016 and 2021, 62% of school-aged children and 85% of pregnant women had iodine levels below the minimum threshold recommended by the WHO. Iodine deficiency impairs thyroid function and can harm children's cognitive development, making it especially critical for pregnant women and toddlers.
Many years after 120 other countries already did so, the Ministry of Health announced last month that it has decided to initiate a process of adding iodine to Israeli table salt, initially at a conservative dose providing about 30% of the recommended daily intake. This is not an immediate step and will not take effect before approval by the Knesset's Health Committee, meaning not before the swearing-in of a new government.
The Ongoing Magnesium Crisis
Unlike the progress on iodine, the magnesium problem has no systemic solution in sight. Before the desalination era, drinking water provided 10% to 20% of magnesium intake in Israel. In desalinated water, which now reaches about 70% of households, there is no magnesium at all.
A large study tracking approximately 178,000 Clalit health fund members found a roughly 6% increase in heart disease among people with low magnesium levels, and a Taub Center study found that the deficiency increases the incidence of type 2 diabetes and ischemic stroke. An increasing number of studies in recent years reveal the health hazards of magnesium deficiency, yet Israel, a global leader in desalination, has dragged its feet for years on implementing a simple solution: adding magnesium to drinking water.
The technical solution is relatively straightforward, but regulators argue over costs since the public purse would have to bear them. The Ministry of Health estimated that adding magnesium would cost about 37 million NIS per year, against expected savings of 83 million to 188 million NIS in healthcare expenses. The Water Authority, on the other hand, estimates the cost at 400 million NIS annually and a 4% rise in water tariffs, even though a significant portion of the water goes to showers, irrigation, and non-drinking uses. As a result, only last summer did a pilot for returning magnesium begin—fully privately funded, at the desalination plant of Kibbutz Maagan Michael, and exclusively for the kibbutz residents. Magnesium fortification for all citizens remains far off.
Regulatory Lapses and Natural Water Neglect
The Ministry of Health has yet to conduct a survey regarding algal toxins released into water due to climate change. Furthermore, the conduct of plant operators themselves and the lax regulatory oversight over them raise serious questions.
In 2024, the State Comptroller warned against management practices, pointing out that the Ministry of Health had yet to survey algal toxins released into water due to climate change, which could compromise the raw water quality of desalination plants. Despite this, no plan has been formulated to address the issue, and inspections at the plants are barely carried out. According to Ministry of Health procedures, inspections at desalination plants are required at least once a year, but between 2018 and 2023, the ministry failed to conduct required inspections at any of the facilities.
The companies themselves also fail to consistently report turbidity incidents that require a halt in supply, continuing to deliver water in violation of regulations. Moreover, Israel's near-total reliance on desalinated drinking water has led to the neglect of natural water sources. The Coastal Aquifer is drying up and becoming polluted, and contaminated water wells are repeatedly shut down and rehabilitated at a slow pace.
According to the Water Authority's master plan, the Coastal Aquifer is supposed to provide 250 million cubic meters annually, about a quarter of household and industrial consumption. About 7% of the water available in it is polluted, and Israel has 124 sites with groundwater contamination. According to a 2021 State Comptroller report, remediation work is not being carried out at 77% of sites with industrial contamination. It was also found that the Water Authority barely uses orders obligating polluters to cease contamination and restore the water source. Contaminant testing in wells is also proceeding very slowly.
In recent years, PFAS contaminants have sparked growing concern worldwide. PFAS is a family of thousands of synthetic fluorinated compounds developed in the 1940s. They are called "forever chemicals" because they remain stable in the environment for many years. They enter the human body primarily through water sources, and many countries have established standards for closing contaminated wells. In recent years, the Ministry of Health and the Water Authority have been testing and closing drills, but very slowly.
To date, 18 drinking water drills have been closed due to PFAS contamination, mostly near fuel refineries and airports. However, according to a Water Authority report, by March 2026 only about 50% of the drinking water drills had been tested, and PFAS compounds were found in 10% of them.
"The authorities are dragging their feet in handling the quality of our drinking water, while natural water sources are neglected and polluted," says Prof. Nadav Davidovitch, head of health policy at the Taub Center. "Although desalination is saving Israel from drying out, the process leaves the water devoid of essential minerals. While late regulatory steps have begun regarding iodine, the solution to the magnesium problem is being unreasonably delayed. This is compounded by loose regulatory oversight and natural water sources suffering severe neglect. Desalination is an existential necessity, but it carries significant health challenges. When tap water lacks essential minerals, wells are polluted, and regulatory oversight is inadequate, resources and systematic managerial attention are required to prevent a situation that endangers us all."
