FOR THE SEA OF GALILEE, 'WE ALL NEED TO PRAY' For the Kinneret, also known as the Sea of Galilee, this is a drought year. Today its level is 37.5 meters (123 feet) below the lake's Red Line. According to Pinchas Green, Deputy Chairman of the Kinneret Authority, "We all need to pray." ✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡ The waterline for the Sea of Galilee (a.k.a. the Kinneret) needs to be four meters and 57 centimeters higher to be considered "full." Last winter, however, was the third one in a row during which rainfall was less than average. As a result, 2016 is a drought year for Israel's biblically famous body of water. When the level gets this low, an island appears in the lake. Pinchas Green, Deputy Chairman of the Kinneret Authority, said that "the Sea of Galilee's water line has dropped by a meter and two centimeters since the beginning of the summer. The waterline is currently very low, lower than the lower red line threshold. The lack of water was felt really early this year. We all need to pray for a really rainy summer this year." Dr. Amir Givati, Director of the Surface Water Office at the Hydrological Authority of the Israel Water Authority said that "the Sea of Galilee waterline is at its lowest level since Fall 2012. The Water Authority isn't expecting large amounts of rain this winter, and the waterline is expected to drop even further – well below the lower red line. If the weather remains dry for the next few months, then other rivers, streams, and springs in the Sea of Galilee region will run dry." The Israel Water Authority is warning that a dry winter will bring the waterline to its lowest point in nine years, and that aquifer levels may also fall below their red lines. "The Sea of Galilee waterline is already well below the lower red line, despite the fact that pumping from the lake has been greatly reduced. The amount of water being pumped from the lake is the lowest ever. However, the Jordan river is on the verge of dehydration," Givati said. The Water Authority said "according to weather models which the Water Authority has received from international forecasting centers, and also from the Israeli meteorological center, that the worst is yet to come." by Ahiya Raved, Tuesday, September 20, 2016 http://jerusalemjournal.net/news-and-views/for-the-sea-of-galilee-we-all-need-to-pray