June 14, 2005

A large reserve of hot water was discovered on Tuesday at a depth of over 1,000 meters by the Water Commission who were conducting drillings near Kibbitz Shamir in the north.

The Water Commission decided to search for water in the lower lairs of the Jura rock. The water, at the temperature of 45 to 47 degrees Celsius, was found to contain high concentration of sulfate. It burst out of the ground at a pressure of 750 cubic meters per hour.

Ze'ev Achifaz, a commission official said that the water was not potable but could be filtered for agricultural use. The water could also be used for fish pools or to create a tourist center, he said.

Although there are no precise estimates of the size of the reserve, it is believed the reserve could supply several millions of cubic meters per year.

SOURCE: Haaretz