Last Updated on December 8, 2021

Current water levels of Lake Kinneret.

Since December 2019 the water level of the Kinneret has risen by 1.04 meters.

Highest water levels

As a result of  the 2020 heavy winter rains, the water level of the Kinneret is now at its highest since 2004.

The Israel Water Authority explained that the Upper Red Line shows when the Kinneret is at its maximum capacity and at that point the flood gates of the Degania Dam are opened.  Today, it was reported that if the water level of the Kinneret rises by another 70cm, the flood gates will be opened.

All we need is for the water level to rise by another 1.2m for the Kinneret to be filled to capacity.

Lowest water levels

The lower red line is 213m below sea level and it is at this level that damage to the ecology begins to take place and the water quality begins to decline.

The historical lowest water level – 214.87m below sea level – is a level below the pipes so pumping water into the National Water Carrier is impossible.

• 10 easy ways to save our precious water supplies in Israel
• Paying your household water bill is easy with this Hebrew to English translation of the water bill and instructional video.
• Visiting and exploring the Dead Sea

And what about the Dead Sea?

The Dead Sea level drops at a rate of about 1.10 meters per year and the reasons for this are:

1. The Syrians constructed dozens of reservoirs that capture the water of the Yarmuk River and prevent them from flowing to the Dead Sea
2. The Jordanians built a dam at the top of the Yarmuk and reservoirs that capture almost all the water that remains of the Yarmuk.
3. In Israel the Degania Dam was built, which prevents most of the water from the Sea of Galilee from flowing through the Jordan River into the Dead Sea

Add to this the fact that in this area rainfall amounts decrease each year due to regional climatic changes, which creates a situation where the level of the Dead Sea drops at an alarming rate, since the rate of water evaporating from the Dead Sea is much greater than the amounts of water entering it.