In June 2017 an industrial waste pool at the Rotem Ampert plant collapsed and contaminated one of Israel’s most beloved nature reserves, the hiking area around Nahal Ashalim.
An investigation showed that Rotem Ampert had failed to maintain two acid wastewater ponds that were constructed in violation of building permits. After months of negotiations, Rotem Ampert agreed to close the ponds adjacent to Nahal Ashalim and remove them to a less environmentally sensitive site.
The court-approved agreement applies only to the construction offenses of Rotem Ampert and to changes in operations at the plant that will safeguard against another environmental disaster. The environmental disaster that destroyed the sensitive desert landscape is still under investigation.
