Overview

Resources
	Study Implementation
	Study Financing
	Study Process
	Public Consultation and Disclosure
	Independent Panel of Experts
	Additional Information

The need to save the unique values of the Dead Sea, the desire to avoid an environmental calamity, and the need to develop additional water resources have led Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority (the Beneficiary Parties) to promote the rehabilitation of the Dead Sea. They have conceived the concept of water conveyance from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea as a means to arrest the declining water level and possibly to allow gradual refilling over time.

The three Beneficiary Parties have articulated a shared vision of the Red Sea–Dead Sea Water Conveyance Study Program, centered on:

• Saving the Dead Sea from environmental degradation;
• Desalinating water and generating energy at affordable prices; and
• Building a symbol of peace and cooperation in the Middle East.

Connecting the two seas is not a new idea. A possible inter-basin transfer has been studied in many forms since the mid-1800s. The more than 400-meter difference in elevation between the Dead Sea and the Red Sea (or the Mediterranean Sea) has long been enticing because of the gravity flow advantage and the considerable potential for hydropower generation.  In addition, as unit prices for desalination have dropped in recent years, it may be feasible to combine the water transfer with desalination for domestic use.

For more information, see RDS Background Note May 27 2008