Is Israel’s Tap Water Safe to Drink? 0.58% of Samples Were Contaminated
An average of 0.58% of Israel’s drinking-water samples were contaminated from 2014 to 2019, the State Comptroller found in its 2020 follow-up audit.
An average of 0.58% of Israel’s drinking-water samples tested from 2014 to 2019 were contaminated, the State Comptroller found in a follow-up audit published in 2020. That is about 580 of the 100,000 tests performed each year detecting coliforms and fecal coliforms. The figure is the Comptroller’s own count of samples tested, not of water drunk. The State Comptroller stated that most deficiencies were rectified and that the vast majority of audited suppliers act diligently, and also that some suppliers still do not comply with the law, “thereby jeopardizing the health of their water consumers”.
| Figure | What it counts | Period |
|---|---|---|
| 0.58% | Drinking-water samples tested that were contaminated, as an average | 2014 to 2019 |
| About 580 of 100,000 | Tests performed annually that detected coliforms and fecal coliforms | Annual average, 2014 to 2019 |
| 1.29 billion cubic metres | Fresh water supplied by water suppliers, excluding 140 million cubic metres to Jordan and the Palestinian Authority and about 20 million for nature | 2018 |
| 56 | Water corporations, supplying 6.6 million residents of 155 local authorities | As reported in the 2020 follow-up |
| 11 of 28 | Suppliers still failing the annual sampling programme, mainly in tests for harmful metals | January to March 2020 follow-up |
| 48 to 2 | Drinking-water drilling rigs operating without health certification or a business licence | 2015 audit to completion of the 2020 audit |
Source: State Comptroller of Israel, Annual Report 71A (2020), follow-up audit of the actions of local authorities and water suppliers to assure drinking-water quality.
0.58% of drinking-water samples were contaminated, the Comptroller found
The State Comptroller recorded contamination in 0.58% of drinking-water samples tested, averaged across six years. The count is the Comptroller’s own, drawn from the samples tested, and its period ends in 2019. What the figure describes, and what it does not:
- It is a share of samples tested, not of water supplied, of residents or of days.
- It is an average over 2014 to 2019, not a single year’s reading.
- The contaminants it records are coliforms and fecal coliforms.
- It comes from a follow-up, conducted January to March 2020, of the Comptroller’s 2015 audit of how water suppliers, local authorities, Mekorot and the Ministry of Health assure the microbial and chemical quality of drinking water.
The audit examines compliance with sampling and quality requirements. Its findings describe the suppliers it audited, in the period it covers.
56 water corporations supply 6.6 million residents
The State Comptroller counted 56 water corporations supplying 6.6 million residents of 155 local authorities, with 1,351 other suppliers supplying the rest. Together, the State Comptroller reported, water suppliers delivered 1.29 billion cubic metres of fresh water in 2018. The audit reports compliance supplier by supplier, so the supplier behind a tap is the unit its findings describe.
- 56 water corporations: 6.6 million residents across 155 local authorities.
- 1,351 other suppliers: unincorporated local authorities, kibbutzim, moshavim, community settlements and others.
- 1.29 billion cubic metres in 2018: excludes 140 million cubic metres supplied to Jordan and the Palestinian Authority, and about 20 million for nature.
The audit does not give the number of residents served by the 1,351 other suppliers. The 6.6 million belongs to the water corporations alone.
11 of 28 suppliers still failed the annual sampling programme
Of the 28 suppliers the 2015 audit found failing the annual sampling programme, the State Comptroller found 11 still failing it in 2020, mainly in tests for harmful metals. In the microbial sampling programme, all but one of the 28 were complying. Both findings are the Comptroller’s own count from its follow-up, and they measure two different programmes.
- Annual sampling programme, 2020: 11 of the 28 still failing, mainly in harmful-metals tests.
- Microbial sampling programme, 2020: all but one of the 28 complying.
- Persistent non-compliance: three suppliers, named in the audit.
The State Comptroller stated that some suppliers still do not comply with the law and Ministry of Health directives, “thereby jeopardizing the health of their water consumers”. The same summary states that most deficiencies were rectified and that the vast majority of audited suppliers act diligently.
Uncertified drinking-water drilling rigs fell from 48 to 2
The State Comptroller found 2 drinking-water drilling rigs operating without Ministry of Health certification or a business licence at the completion of the 2020 audit, against 48 at the 2015 audit. Both numbers are the Comptroller’s own count of rigs operating without either document. They are counts at two points in time, not an annual series.
No contamination rate after 2019 appears in this audit
The State Comptroller’s 0.58% average covers 2014 to 2019, and the audit carries no later rate. It does not break the figure down by town or by building. The English abstract is the Comptroller’s own summary of a longer Hebrew chapter. What the abstract does not contain:
- A contamination rate for 2020 or any later year.
- A figure for a single town or a single building.
- Any finding on taste.
- Any finding on home filters, or on water left standing in a building’s pipes overnight.
Every figure here is the State Comptroller’s own
Every figure on this page comes from the State Comptroller’s 2020 follow-up audit of drinking-water quality, and each is the Comptroller’s own count. The 0.58% is a 2014 to 2019 average of samples tested, and may not be restated as a single year’s rate or as a share of water drunk. The 11 of 28 failing the annual sampling programme and the all but one complying with the microbial programme are two different tests and may not be merged. The 1.29 billion cubic metres excludes water supplied to Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and nature. The certification the drilling rigs lacked is the Ministry of Health’s; the count of uncertified rigs is the Comptroller’s own.
Questions readers ask
How often is Israeli tap water tested?
The State Comptroller reported about 100,000 drinking-water tests performed each year, averaged over 2014 to 2019. About 580 of them detected coliforms and fecal coliforms.
What contaminants did the tests detect?
The State Comptroller recorded coliforms and fecal coliforms in the contaminated samples. The 0.58% average refers to those detections.
Is the 0.58% a share of the water people drink?
No. The State Comptroller found 0.58% of samples tested were contaminated, a share of samples rather than of water supplied, residents or days.
Which year does the 0.58% cover?
The State Comptroller published it as an average over 2014 to 2019. It is not a single year’s figure.
What did the audit conclude overall?
The State Comptroller stated that most deficiencies were rectified and that the vast majority of audited suppliers act diligently. The State Comptroller also stated that some suppliers still do not comply with the law, “thereby jeopardizing the health of their water consumers”.
Who supplies drinking water in Israel?
The State Comptroller counted 56 water corporations supplying 6.6 million residents of 155 local authorities. A further 1,351 suppliers, including kibbutzim, moshavim and community settlements, supplied the rest.
How much fresh water do Israel’s suppliers deliver?
The State Comptroller reported 1.29 billion cubic metres in 2018. That excludes 140 million cubic metres supplied to Jordan and the Palestinian Authority and about 20 million for nature.
Which tests did suppliers fail most often?
The State Comptroller found that the 11 suppliers still failing the annual sampling programme in 2020 did so mainly in tests for harmful metals.
Are suppliers meeting the microbial testing programme?
The State Comptroller found all but one of the 28 suppliers it followed up complying with the microbial sampling programme in 2020.
How many suppliers persisted in non-compliance?
The State Comptroller named three suppliers that persisted in non-compliance at the 2020 follow-up.
How many unlicensed drinking-water drilling rigs remained?
The State Comptroller found 2 rigs operating without Ministry of Health certification or a business licence at the completion of the 2020 audit, down from 48 at the 2015 audit.
When was the audit carried out?
The State Comptroller published the follow-up in Annual Report 71A in 2020. The audit work ran from January to March 2020 and revisited the 2015 audit.
Is there a contamination figure for my town?
The State Comptroller published the 0.58% without a breakdown by town or building. The audit’s English abstract gives no local figure.
Sources
- State Comptroller of Israel, 2020. The Actions of Local Authorities and Water Suppliers to Assure Drinking Water Quality, Follow-up Audit. Annual Report 71A, Government Water and Sewage Authority chapter, English abstract, printed pages 177 to 182. https://library.mevaker.gov.il/sites/DigitalLibrary/Documents/2020/71A/EN/2020-71A-304-Drinking-Water-Taktzir-EN.pdf; full Hebrew chapter https://library.mevaker.gov.il/sites/DigitalLibrary/Documents/2020/71A/2020-71A-304-Drinking-Water.pdf. Official or primary record.
