The management of Lake Agmon Wetlands (Hula Valley, Israel)

Abstract

Lake Hula and its surrounding swamps were drained in the 1950s. Forty years later a draw down of groundwater table and peat soils degradation resulted in damage to agricultural crops and increase of nutrient fluxes to the down stream located Lake Kinneret. A reclamation project was implemented, including the construction of the new Lake Agmon wetlands. Agmon is utilised for drainage water removal and for eco-tourism. The ecology of Lake Agmon has been studied since 1994. Submerged macrophytes, started to grow in the lake during spring–summer and die-back in the fall. The maximal phosphorus stock in macrophytes tissues is similar to the phosphorus load in the lake water in fall when submerged vegetation decomposes. Most of the phosphorus load in the water during summer–fall is plant mediated phosphorus which is transferred from the sediments to the water by plants through uptake and incorporation during the onset of growth and released during die-back and decomposition. Summer phosphorus removal is crucial for Lake Kinnneret water quality protection, especially aimed at prevention of cyanobacteria blooms in summer. Macrophyte harvesting may reduce phosphorus stocks in lake Agmon serving as a manageable tool to improve water quality.