What proposals have been made to bring additional water to the Dead Sea?

To address the significant decline in the Dead Sea’s water level—caused largely by the diversion of the Jordan River for commercial and agricultural use—several proposals have been explored by Israel and Jordan.123

These proposals generally fall into two categories:

• Conservation: There have been ongoing calls and studies focused on reducing the amount of water diverted from the Jordan River by both Israel and Jordan to allow for greater natural freshwater discharge into the lake. In 2022, the two nations reached a Joint Declaration of Intent to cooperate on increasing this freshwater flow and removing pollution.13
• Canal Construction: The countries discussed building canals to transport water from other sources to the Dead Sea. A notable project approved in 2015 involved constructing a canal northward from the Red Sea. This plan included the development of desalination and hydroelectric plants, which would have delivered brine—a byproduct of the desalination process—into the lake.13

This canal project faced significant opposition from environmentalists, who raised concerns regarding the potential ecological consequences of mixing water from the two different sources.13