There are more than a dozen pillars with names of the Patrons, Guardians and Sponsors, primarily from Australia and U.S., that donated money to support the building of this very important reservoir. This reservoir holds 2.2 million cubic meters of reclaimed water from the Tel Aviv metropolitan area and is used for irrigating agricultural fields in the surrounding area.
The reservoir is part of a sophisticated water collection system – the Lower Rehovot Reservoir, the Upper Rehovot Reservoir and the B’sor Reservoir and has a combined total capacity of around seven million cubic meters. In drought years when the two fenced reservoirs, the Upper Rehovot and the B’sor cannot be filled from the B’sor River, reclaimed waste water from the Dan Region Wastewater Treatment Plant (a.k.a., Shafdan), can be channeled into them instead. This ensures a reliable source of irrigation water for farmers in the region.
The third reservoir, Lower Rehovot Reservoir, is an open wilderness for the enjoyment of animals and people. It is filled with rain and flash flood waters from tributaries that cover an area of 3600 sq km, Nahal Hevron, Nahal Be’er Sheva and Nahal Gerar.