Water Pollution

Water Pollution

According to the Water Act, water pollution is a change in the properties of the water in terms of physical, chemical, organoleptic, biological, bacteriological, radioactive or other, or a change in which water becomes dangerous to public health, or may adversely affect animal or plant life or is less suitable for the purpose to which it was used or intended to be used.

This definition is an expansion of the environmental law framework, and does not rely on intention but on the legal basis of the result, which makes things very difficult when coming to defend in court alleging the source of water pollution. It is quite likely, that at least one aspect of your activity causes you to commit an offense of water pollution, even without knowing it. 

The Director of the Water and Sewage Authority (the former Water Commissioner) is in charge of the Water Act enforcement, but the actual powers and enforcement regulations for the prevention of environmental contamination of water are held by the Minister of the Environment and the Water and Sewage Municipal corporations.

Not just by coincidence the Minister of the Environment ruled many regulations over the years regarding the prevention of water pollution - aimed to regulate the industrial processes and to prevent the depletion of water resources - both in quantity and quality. Preventing the depletion of water resources, both in quality and quantity, requires the state to tighten its control and maintain existing water reservoirs. 

Our environmental lawyers can assist you to refrain from acts likely to cause pollution of water sources: first, without a detailed introduction to the extensive legislation in the area of its specific context of your activities, you cannot take adequate measures to avoid water pollution and meet all international and Israeli standards required. For example, we can assist you in the complex field of constructing, operating and monitoring fuel pipelines and tanks. 

If you employed every means necessary, and till did not achieve the water quality limit for pumping into the river, we can assist you to obtain a "permission order" from the Water Authority. We have extensive experience within the framework of the practice of environmental law, filing appeals against the decisions of the head of the Water Authority and representing industrial entities at the Water Tribunal - a unique instance which deals with water issues. We are well acquainted and experienced also with regard to related industrial processes such as rinsing and refreshing procedures, or surface treatment of metals, and we can assist you in filing requests for a relief extension of quantities of wastewater determined to you, or in dealing with administrative orders that might be issued against you. 

If charged with offenses under the Water Act or the regulations promulgated hereunder, we can prepare you for hearings and investigations vs. the "green police" - the environmental supervision unit - and, if necessary, also provide the very best legal representation at the criminal court. We have rich experience in the field, and we can help you with that too.