Editing Sea of Galilee (section)

==Water level==
[[File:KinneretLevels-Apr21.jpg|thumb|Sea of Galilee water levels (January 2004 – February 2012)]]

The water level is monitored and regulated. There are three levels at which the alarm is rung:
* The upper red line, {{convert|208.9|m|abbr=on}} below [[sea level]] (BSL), where facilities on the shore start being flooded.
* The lower red line, {{convert|213.2|m|abbr=on}} BSL, where pumping should stop.
* The black (low-level) line, {{convert|214.4|m|abbr=on}} BSL, where irreversible damage occurs.<ref name="lines">[https://israelbetweenthelines.com/2019/02/20/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-sea-of-galilee/ The Rise and Fall of the Sea of Galilee], Tourism & Nature, 20 February 2019, via Israel Between The Lines, accessed 21 January 2020</ref>

Daily monitoring of the Sea of Galilee's water level began in 1969, and the lowest level recorded since then was November 2001, which today constitutes the "black line" of 214.87 meters below sea level (although it is believed that in the first half of the 20th century, the water level had fallen lower than the current black line at times of drought). The Israeli government monitors water levels and publishes the results daily.<ref>{{anchor|WaterLevel}}[http://www.water.gov.il/Hebrew/WaterResources/Kinneret-Basin/Pages/default.aspx Kinneret Basin Water Level] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130923101717/http://www.water.gov.il/Hebrew/WaterResources/Kinneret-Basin/Pages/default.aspx |date=23 September 2013 }}</ref> Increasing water demand in Israel, Lebanon and Jordan, as well as dry winters, have resulted in stress on the lake and a decreasing water line to dangerously low levels at times. The Sea of Galilee is at risk of becoming irreversibly salinized by the salt water springs under the lake, which are held in check by the weight of the freshwater on top of them.<ref>Skynews report, 5 May 2009: [http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Sea-Of-Galilee-In-Israel-Is-Facing-Disaster-Says-Friends-Of-The-Earth-Prompting-Government-Campaign/Article/200905115274946 Race To Save Sea Of Galilee From Disaster] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090508060657/http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Sea-Of-Galilee-In-Israel-Is-Facing-Disaster-Says-Friends-Of-The-Earth-Prompting-Government-Campaign/Article/200905115274946 |date=8 May 2009 }}</ref>

After five years of drought up to 2018, the Sea of Galilee was expected to drop near the black line.<ref>{{cite web |title=שר האנרגיה הכריז: מצב חירום במשק המים – ישראל היום |url=http://www.israelhayom.co.il/article/528479}}</ref> In February 2018, the city of Tiberias requested a [[desalination]] plant to treat the water coming from the Sea of Galilee and demanded a new water source for the city.<ref>{{cite news |last=קוריאל |first=אילנה |date=16 February 2018 |title=בטבריה חוששים להישאר בלי מים – ומבקשים מתקן התפלה |newspaper=Ynet |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-5115265,00.html}}</ref> March 2018 was the lowest point in water income{{definition needed|date=July 2018}} to the lake since 1927.<ref>{{cite web |last=להורדה |first=הרבה יותר נוח לגלוש באפליקציית חדשות 20, לחץ עכשיו |title=כמות המים שנכנסה לכנרת היא הנמוכה ביותר שנרשמה מאז 1927 – חדשות 20 |url=https://www.20il.co.il/%D7%9B%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%A9%D7%A0%D7%9B%D7%A0%D7%A1%D7%94-%D7%9C%D7%9B%D7%A0%D7%A8%D7%AA-%D7%94%D7%99%D7%90-%D7%94%D7%A0%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%9B%D7%94-%D7%91%D7%99%D7%95%D7%AA/}}</ref> In September 2018 the [[Ministry of National Infrastructures, Energy and Water Resources|Israeli energy and water office]] announced a project to pour desalinated water from the Mediterranean Sea into the Sea of Galilee using a tunnel. The tunnel is expected to be the largest of its kind in Israel and will transfer half{{clarify|date=November 2021}} of the Mediterranean desalted water and will move 300 to 500 million cubic meters of water per year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=מנהרת הענק להצלת הכנרת: "ישראל ביקשה סיוע מגרמניה" &#124; כלכליסט | date=3 September 2018 |url=https://m.calcalist.co.il/Article.aspx?guid=3745482&ref=ynet}}</ref> The plan is said to cost five billion shekels.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lidman|first1=Melanie|title=Government approves plan to pump desalinated water into Sea of Galilee|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/government-approves-plan-to-pump-desalinated-water-into-sea-of-galilee|newspaper=[[Times of Israel]]|date=10 June 2018}}</ref>

Since the beginning of the 2018–19 rainy season, the Sea of Galilee has risen considerably. From being near the ecologically dangerous black line of −214.4 m, the level has risen by April 2020 to just {{convert|16|cm|abbr=on}} below the upper red line, a result of strong rains and a radical decrease in pumping.<ref name=JPfull/> During the entire 2018–19 rainy season the water level rose by a historical record of {{convert|3.47|m|sp=us}}, while the 2019–20 winter brought a {{convert|2.82|meter|sp=us}} rise.<ref name=JPfull/> The Water Authority dug a new canal in order to let {{convert|5| e9liter|sp=us}} of water flow from the lake directly into the Jordan River, bypassing the existing dams system for technical and financial reasons.<ref name=JPfull>{{cite news |author= Tzvi Joffre |title= New canal to flow water from Kinneret to Jordan River as water level rises |newspaper= The Jerusalem Post |date= 16 April 2020 |url= https://m.jpost.com/Israel-News/Kinneret-water-level-rises-by-25-cm-over-48-hours-16-cm-below-red-line-624789 |access-date=16 April 2020}}</ref>