Integrated hydro-economic assessment of restoration of the Alexander-Zeimar River (Israel-Palestinian Authority)

This paper examines hydro-economic aspects of the Alexander-Zeimar basin. The Alexander-Zeimar River is a transboundary river originating in the Palestinian Authority and flowing through Israel to the Mediterranean Sea. Since the 1950s, the river has been used as a sewage outlet. The major purpose of this study is to estimate the costs and benefits derived from a restoration plan, which has been in place in the river since the mid-1990s. A hydrological model combined with market and non-market valuation (travel cost method) techniques was used to estimate the condition of the situation before and after the restoration project was implemented. The total restoration plan was compared to alternative partial plans. Interestingly, a cost–benefit analysis on the different restoration options revealed that only a complete cleanup of the river results in a positive net benefit ($0.49–3.23 million annually).