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Why did environmentalists question the plan to bring Red Sea brine into the Dead Sea?

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White salt deposits cover rocks along the shore of the Dead Sea near Masada, Israel, with green water and dramatic cloudy sky in the background. — Dead Sea Salt deposits at the Dead Sea near Masada, Israel.

Environmentalists and other concerned parties questioned the proposal to transport brine from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea primarily due to the potential for harmful ecological consequences resulting from mixing water from the two distinct sources.12

The project, which was intended to help mitigate the Dead Sea's rapidly declining water level, involved the construction of a canal, desalinization plants, and hydroelectric facilities. Because the brine is a by-product of the desalination process, critics expressed skepticism regarding the long-term environmental impact of introducing this foreign water into the unique, highly saline ecosystem of the lake.12