Mekorot, Israel's national water company, inaugurated the new Shluhot Reservoir in the Emek HaMaayanot region on Tuesday as part of a NIS 600 million national infrastructure project designed to connect the Beit She'an region, Emek HaMaayanot and the Jordan Valley to Israel's National Water System.
The ceremony was attended by Energy and Infrastructure Minister and Security Cabinet member Eli Cohen, Deputy Knesset Speaker MK Eliyahu Revivo, Mekorot Chairman Moshe Shimoni, Acting CEO Dani Sofer, members of the Levy family and senior company officials.
Named in honor of former deputy prime minister and cabinet minister David Levy, the reservoir forms part of a project that includes approximately 50 kilometers of 64-inch water pipeline infrastructure. According to Mekorot, the initiative will improve the reliability of the domestic water supply, increase overall water capacity and strengthen water availability for local agriculture.
The company said the project marks a significant shift for the region, which has relied primarily on local wells for more than 70 years. Once completed next year, the government-backed initiative to connect previously isolated areas to the national water network is expected to improve water security while supporting population growth and regional development.
The new system combines water from local wells with supplies from the National Water System, a configuration intended to provide a more reliable and flexible supply during both routine operations and emergencies.
At the center of the project is the new Shluhot Reservoir, which has a storage capacity of approximately 10,000 cubic meters. Built at a cost of approximately NIS 18 million, the reservoir recently became operational and is expected to serve as a key component of the region's water supply network for decades.
Mekorot said the project also presented significant engineering challenges, including excavation into a mountainside and slope stabilization while minimizing environmental impact and integrating the infrastructure into the surrounding landscape.
The decision by Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen to name the reservoir after David Levy adds symbolic significance to the project. Levy, who immigrated to Israel from North Africa in 1957, settled in Beit She'an and remained there throughout his life, becoming one of Israel's most prominent public figures and serving in several senior ministerial positions.
Speaking at the ceremony, Cohen described Levy as belonging to "a generation of giants" of Israel's leadership, saying he represented the country's periphery "with honor and pride" and helped shape major national initiatives, including the Neighborhood Rehabilitation Project. He called the inauguration of a reservoir bearing Levy's name "a great privilege."
Mekorot Chairman Moshe Shimoni said naming the reservoir after Levy linked national infrastructure development with the legacy of a leader who dedicated his life to Israeli society. He added that the project would secure the water supply for the Beit She'an region for decades to come.
Acting CEO Dani Sofer said connecting the area to the National Water System would strengthen water security for residents, local authorities and agriculture. He noted that a region long dependent on springs and local wells would now benefit from infrastructure designed to meet future population growth, agricultural demand and regional development.