A fresh glass of cool, clear water is a luxury in many places of the world. For example, take the Dead Sea in the southern part of Israel. It is truly an exceptional spot on earth. First, at 1385 feet below sea level, it is the lowest place above water on the earth. Being the lowest, water cannot flow out of it and, thus, only evaporation allows water to escape, leaving behind all the solids dissolved in the water that flows in from the Jordan River. It is Israels and Jordans mineral and salt waste deposit.

Second, the Dead Sea is the second saltiest body of water on earth, 8.6 times saltier than the oceans. This means it is a 33.7% salt solution. Below 300 feet the saturated solution precipitates the salt to the bottom. Also, at 11 miles wide, 42 feet long, and 1240 feet deep, it is the deepest salt lake in the world.

Because of the fact that the mineral laden water escapes only by evaporation, vast stores of potash, bromine, caustic soda, magnesium, and sodium chloride have dissolved in its waters over the last several thousand years. One estimate is that the Dead Sea area holds more than two trillion dollars worth of fertilizer compounds (presently 1.9 billion tons of potash). The characteristics that make the Sea dead have certainly contributed to giving the country life.

But the level of water in the Dead Sea is dropping at a present rate of three feet a year. This means since 1970, the level has dropped 72 feet. What are the reasons for this? First of all, very little rain falls in the area. The northern part of the Sea gets about 4 inches of rain a year, the southern part only 2 inches. Irrigation and manufacturing in the northern part of the country have dropped the amount of water flowing through the Jordan River by 90%.

The salts are reported to have therapeutic value and are taken out of the Dead Sea and sold for this. Desalination plants in the southern area extract these salts and also provide fresh, clean wate. This has also lowered the water table in the country, affecting the ability to provide enough water for the citizens and increasing the need to take water from the Jordan.

The water level drop has affected the entire country. The Dead Sea has actually changed its shape. The bottom third of the Sea was always very shallow compared with the rest. Some believe that the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, mentioned in Genesis, were located in this area. But because of the drop in water level, this southern area is drying up and now the Lisan Peninsula (Arabic for tongue because of its shape) is so exposed that it entirely separates the southern from the northern part of the Sea.

The Dead Sea has attracted tourists for centuries and a continued drop in water level may affect this. Frankly, the Dead Sea a healthy place to be: it has increased air pressure, high levels of oxygen, low levels of allergens, and decreased ultra-violet solar radiation.

The Two Seas Canal” is now being considered by Jordan and Israel. This would involve pumping salt water 125 miles from the Gulf of Aqaba of the Red Sea to the Dead Sea. As the water falls into the Dead Sea, it would generate hydroelectricity and the water would then be desalinated, providing 850 million cubic meters of fresh water a year.

People in the west surely take for granted a glass of fresh, clean water. Others in the world are not as likely to do so because they must go to so much trouble to get it and often have to limit its use so there is enough to go around. Though even our dependable sources of water are threatened, wise stewardship will hopefully continue to permit us to enjoy this life-giving liquid for years to come.

But if you are in an area where suitable water is difficult to obtain, you would do well to check out the Berkey Water Filters. The Black Berkey Filters that ship with the Royal Berkey, or any other model, are able to filter out microscopic bacteria without removing the minerals beneficial to your health. Virtually no other filtration element can duplicate this performance.