Jordan River

• Category: Inland Aquatic Biomes.
• Geographic Location: Middle East.
• Summary: The Jordan River is a unique aquatic ecosystem whose excess water exploitation has resulted in a decrease in its outflow, a reduction in its quality, and a modification in its biota.

The Jordan River is a 156-mile (251-kilometer) river in the Middle East, lying within Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel/occupied Palestine. About 80 percent of the river is situated in Jordan, Israel, and the occupied Palestine territory. Its headwaters are in the area of the Lebanon–Syria–Israel border junction, and as an endorheic river—not draining to an ocean, but to an inland area—the Jordan River ends at the Dead Sea, which lies at 1,388 feet (423 meters) below sea level and is one of the saltiest bodies of water on Earth.

Hydrology and Geology

The Jordan River rises in Mount Hermon, at the juncture of Syria and Lebanon north of the Golan Heights. It is formed by the confluence of three main rivers: Nahr Hasbani, which flows from Lebanon; Nahr Baniyas, which arises from a small spring at Baniyas, Syria; and Nahr al-Liddani, which is the largest tributary of the Jordan River within the Israeli territory. Running north-south, it flows into Hula Emeq (Lake Hula) and into its surrounding swamps within Israel and occupied Palestine.

Before its drainage in the 1950s, Hula Emeq had a length of 3.3 miles (5.3 kilometers) and a width of about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers). It was about 10 to 13 feet (3 to 4 meters) deep, comprising an area of 5 square miles (14 square kilometers), and its surrounding swamps occupied an additional 14 to 19 square miles (37 to 49 square kilometers). Hula Emeq, with its surrounding swamps, was one of the richest ecosystems in terms of biodiversity in the Levant, with more than 500 species of aquatic invertebrates and vertebrates and more than 90 species of aquatic vegetation. It was also an important stop for many migratory birds and a nesting place for others.

Exiting the former Hula Emeq, the Jordan pushes through the basalt barrier until it reaches Lake Tiberias in occupied Palestine/Israel after 11 miles (17 kilometers). Lake Tiberias, also known as the Sea of Galilee, or Kinneret, is the largest natural lake in the Middle East and the lowest freshwater lake on Earth: 686 feet (209 meters) below sea level, with a length of 14 miles (22 kilometers), a maximum width of 7 miles (12 kilometers), a depth of 141 feet (43 meters), and a surface area of about 66 square miles (170 square kilometers). It is worth noting that Lake Tiberias has a limited biotic diversity (such as reeds; phytoplankton; zooplankton; benthic or bottom-dwelling animals such as snails; and fish species such as Acanthobrama terraesanctae,Tristramella simonis, and Tilapia, known as St. Peter’s fish) relative to that of Hula Emeq.

Subsequently, the Jordan River meanders through the plain of al-Ghawr. In this section, many western and eastern tributaries feed the Jordan River, the principal ones being Nahr Yarmuk and Nahr az-Zarqa, which enter the river from the east. The majority of these tributaries are wadis or seasonal streams, some with saline water of about 20 parts per thousand and high temperatures above 68 degrees F (20 degrees C).

The Jordan River then discharges into the Dead Sea, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world—almost 1,312 feet (400 meters) below sea level, with a length of about 47 miles (75 kilometers) and a width of 6 to 9 miles (10 to 15 kilometers).

The Jordan River runs along the Jordan Rift Valley from its headwaters to its termination in the Dead Sea. A remarkable feature of this valley is its exposure to different natural climatic environments. Its northern part, down to Lake Tiberias, is characterized by a Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and cool, rainy winters. Farther south, the climate gets drier. Such variations, along with ample, if seasonal, water supply and fertile soils, make this valley—especially the al-Ghawr plain—an extensive agricultural site that has attracted many civilizations for approximately 10,000 years.

Biodiversity and Human Activity

Being located in the Middle East, which is a unique transition zone between three major biogeographic domains—the Palaearctic, Afrotropical, and Oriental realms—the Jordan River has a high number of faunal and floral elements of all three domains, with the additions of some local and euryhaline taxa (organisms that can endure and thrive in a wide range of salinity conditions), such as approximately 100 species of reptiles, six species of amphibians, and 25 species of freshwater fish.

Because of rapid population growth, significant increases in urbanization and industrialization, aggressive expansion of irrigated areas, and prevailing drought in the region demands on water resources have been great. The Jordan River is an important water source for Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and occupied Palestine. Considering its marked importance, the Jordan River remains a major subject in any solution to conflicts across the Middle East.

In an attempt to divert water from the river for irrigation, drinking, and other purposes, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan have long and often made plans for water development and drainage, including the construction of dams (such as the King Talal Dam across Nahr az-Zarqa), canals (such as the eastern Ghawr Canal), and pumping and power stations (such as the pumping station on Nahr Hasbani). The largest projects were the drainage operations carried out by the Jewish National Fund and National Water Carrier (NWC) in Israel.

The drainage of Hula Emeq started in 1948 and continued for a decade. The first phase of the latter stages involved deepening, widening, and straightening of the Jordan River south of Hula Emeq; excavation of two main drainage canals, diverting the Jordan north of the lake; and making smaller canals in the swamp and peat areas.

This manmade project led to the disappearance of some aquatic plants (e.g., Hydrocotyle vulgaris), and other unforeseen effects that rendered the reclaimed swampy land unsuitable for agriculture. Many environmentalists had called for the preservation of a part of the lake and swamplands. Following the drainage, a nature reserve and a national park with a large shallow pond and swamps, encompassing an area of about 43,060 square feet (4,000 square meters), were set up to restore a small part of the previous ecosystem.

Israel’s NWC in the 1950s also started transporting water for irrigation and drinking from Lake Tiberias to populated and arid areas in Israel. It was the largest water project in the country—a system of huge pipes, canals, reservoirs, and pumping stations. The excess exploitation of water, as well as drought, caused the shrinking of the lake and stressed its ecology. This led to the disappearance of some of the biota present there (e.g., Nemacheilusgalilaeus).

The construction by NWC for the diversion of Jordan River water led to tension with Syria and Jordan. In an attempt to block the water flow into Lake Tiberias, Syria intended construction of a Headwater Diversion Plan, which was met by a physical attack from Israel in 1965. In close sequence, Jordan diverted Nahr Yarmuk at its upper reaches into the eastern Ghawr Canal for irrigation purposes.

The construction of dams, canals, and pumping stations has decreased the flow of the Jordan River by more than 90 percent, and heavily modified its hydrology. Moreover, the dumping of sewage and agricultural runoff has reduced its water quality and affected its biota. Such disastrous effects have resulted in a call for the conflicting countries to strike a better balance between water resources and to recognize and act to secure the ecological and historical importance of the Jordan River. In 2022, Israel approved a plan to restore the southern part of the Jordan River using water from Lake Kinneret. This will increase the flow of the Jordan River, and the dumping of pollution and sewage will end. The countries worked together in 2023 to begin cleaning up a stretch of the Jordan. The Israel Nature and Parks Authority and Jordan Valley Regional Council worked to establish a partnership to share the burden of maintenance of the area until the stretch of land can be declared a national park and nature reserve,

Bibliography

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Horowitz, Aharon. The Jordan Rift Valley. Balkema, 2001.

Inbar, Moshe. "A Geomorphic and Environmental Evaluation of the Hula Drainage Project, Israel." Australian Geographical Studies, vol. 40, no. 2, 2002, pp. 155-66.

Krupp, Friedhelm, et al. "The Middle Eastern Biodiversity Network: Generating and Sharing Knowledge for Ecosystem Management and Conservation." ZooKeys, vol. 31, no. 1, 2009, pp. 3-15.

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Rinat, Zafrir. "Israel to Greenlight Jordan River Facelift to Cut Pollution." Israel News, 23 July 2022, www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2022-07-23/ty-article/.premium/israel-to-greenlight-jordan-river-facelift-to-cut-pollution/00000182-2c4b-dd3f-a7e3-fdefcafc0000. Accessed 29 Oct. 2024.

Stevens, Georgiana. The Jordan River Valley. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1956.

Surkes, Sue. "Quietly, A Stretch of the Jordan River is Being Cleaned Up And Transformed." The Times of Israel, 11 Mar. 2023, www.timesofisrael.com/quietly-a-stretch-of-the-jordan-river-is-being-cleaned-up-and-transformed/. Accessed 29 Oct. 2024.