YARKON RIVER

The 'Yarkon River' (, ''Nahal HaYarkon'', also spelt 'Yarqon River') is a river in Israel that originates in north Petah Tikva and flows into the Mediterranean Sea in Tel Aviv. It is the largest coastal river in Israel, at 27.5 km in length. It runs through seven cities, including Tel Aviv where it is surrounded by The Yarkon Park. The Reading Power Station, constructed near its mouth in the 1950s, is often blamed for contributing to the pollution of the river.
On July 16, 1997, four members of the Australian delegation to the Maccabiah Games were killed as a result of the collapsing of a temporary pedestrian bridge into the Yarkon. Over 100 other athletes were on the bridge at the time of the collapse, but survived.

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Yarkon River Authority

External links

Yarkon River Authority

In 1955 water quality in the Yarkon River became noticably deteriorated when its waters were diverted via the pipelines of the National Water Carrier to provide water for irrigation purposes to the arid Negev desert in the south of the country. Sewage began to replace fresh water resulting in the destruction of habitats as well as the disappearance of flora and fauna.
As a result, the Yarkon River Authority was set up in 1988 to improve the quality of the river. Today, the authority is responsible for the cleanup, restoration and development of the river, ensuring that the quality of the water makes it suitable for leisure and recreation. In order to restore the river, hundreds of tons of garbage were removed from the river, whilst the authority also cleaned up the banks as well as improving leisure paths alongside the river.
It has subsequentally been noticed that the programme of renewal has much improved the channel and the surrounding environment

External links

★ Yarkon River Authority