Desalinated water tastes like regular tap water. Already, about 40%-50% of the country's water is from desalination plants. Some people claim they can taste the difference, but I seriously doubt that.

Better. There will not be such high amount of calcium and magnesium as is it in underground water.

Israel is on the way of becoming more and more independent of land-based water resources and of Arab gas and oil. Then we'll soon have the best anti-missile defense, best airforce (well, that's already here), and best Army (here, again!), kicking ass of anybody trying to "wipe us off the map". We'll be literally an island of civilization, force, resistance and democracy in a sea of violence, hatred, racism and genocide. The only thing left is to mend ties between the Jews ;) Now the Israeli Arabs have a choice - live with us or leave us. You cannot destroy us and your dreams of a Jewish genocide are over. You have to make a choice and I truly hope you'll going to make the right one - for a change!

desal is a good thing, but as far as i know the scientific consensus is that water stripped of minerals is worse, not better, for humans and agriculture. so it needs to be considered.

More and more advanced membranes and engineering are used to increase efficiency and reduce costs A big...WELL DONE!

Saying it "tastes like water" isn't quite accurate because pure water is tasteless, but most water has some mineral composition (as reflected in hard vs. soft water). New York City water is drawn from upstate springs, as Israel's Banias water comes mountain tributaries. Neither are "pure", yet both are high quality. One project of the Technion involved researching the right mineral mixture that makes for quality water. And more of that desalinated water is now being treated to achieve that "just right" balance.

Keep creating springs in the desert!

Israel is booming. More and more good news coming out of Israel all the time. To all the bellyackers and whiners..get a life and shove off..in fact get out of the way...the train of Israels prosperity will run you over.

that pull water out of the air and filter it. One that costs about a thousand dollars produces about 9 gallons of filtered water a day. For 10,000. dollars a larger until can produce from the air enough water for a household. Solar panels can generate the electricity to run the Ecoloblu machines.

My A/C produces water from the air every day, and cools my house! It goes to a tree in my yard. Doesn't work so well when humidity is low in the winter.

are dumping to the drain?

Just a suggestion, the fuel to produce energy that is required to run the desalinization can come from burning house garbage at ultra high temperature. It works really well in Denmark where there are no garbage tips. These plants produce electricity and hot water for district heating. The residue is sorted for metals and slug for highroads construction. This way you don't burn any fossil fuels. It is a doubly beneficial process. I know that some readers will ask me to come with a check- don't worry, there is enough water in Denmark even for export- any takers?

Instead of cutting back our gluttonous consumption and raising the price of water, walla!, the government "solves the problem by pisssing away another 1/2 billion dollars of our hard earned tax money. And don't be fooled...that $423 million will most like be much higher by the time the plant opens. This plant will NOT allow Israel to restore the natural resources our government has damaged. It will NOT fill up the Kinneret or the underground aquifers. Only massive consumption reduction and lots of rain can do that. We are simply pathetically stupid tax paying sheep for sitting here and doing nothing. The water problem is getting worse, not better. Desalination plants are only one (very expensive) part of the solution. Unless we force our leaders to smarten up and fire ninkompoops like Wiznitzer, the water crisis will stay with us long after this fifth money guzzling desalination plant opens.

If there isn't a comprehensive plan that deals with water issues collectively among Israelis, Jordanians, and "Palestinians" the problem of aquifer depletion, growing thirst, and threats of war will still linger. Together, we need a plan to wean us off of aquifer water, which means heavily punishing those who illegally drop wells, so we can avoid damaging the environment.

Israel needs more water. Since Israel's Jewish population rises by 1.5% annually as a result of natural growth, Israel should build a few more desalination plants in order to plan ahead for the future. Israel should be able to produce 100% of its drinking water in desalination plants, and my recommendation is for Israel to produce more water than it consumes on an annual basis, because Israel needs water reserves. Israel water production should be maybe 150% or 200% of its annual water consumtion in order to have large water reserves.