Park Nahal Hadera *

Hadera Stream – Nahal Hadera – نهر الخضيرة

Nahal Hadera ( نهر المفجر – Nahr Mufjir), is a seasonal stream that flows from Dothan Valley in northern Shomron -Samaria.  It empties into the Mediterranean Sea in Park Nahal Hadera – near the city of Hadera – just a couple dozen meters south of Orot Rabin Power Station. In Arabic, the upper section of the stream is called Nahr Mufjir – نهر المفج (Slow Stream) and the lower section is called Wadi Hadera – نهر الخضيرة – (Green Stream).  Its main tributaries are the Haviva, Yitzhak, Hadera, and Iron creeks.

Because of development in the surrounding area, the river had become polluted by effluent from factories and local sewage plants. In the 1980s, the Hadera Paper Plant left a layer of wood fiber on the surface of the creek that bred mosquitoes. A thick layer of black heavy oil sediment – the legacy of a local tire factory – was discovered when the creek bed was dredged. Its lower reaches presented a serious ecological problem forcing a decision to be taken to rehabilitate its western section between the Coastal Highway and the river mouth. The rehabilitation project was undertaken by the City of Hadera, Keren Kayemet L’Yisrael (JNF-Jewish National Fund), and the Electric Company. The new sewage treatment plants in the upper part of Nahal Hadera in Um El Fahem and Baqa Jat were the first stage of the rehabilitation.

Hofim (Beaches)

This song was writen by the author and poet Nathan Yonatan in 1943 during a visit to the mouth of Nahal Hadera. He noticed that the water didn’t reach the Mediterranean and were absorbed in the sands a short distance from the beach. The song describes the sea’s feelings of abandonment because the stream that doesn’t come to meet it.

Orot Rabin Power Station

Orot Rabin is a coal-fired power station on the Mediterranean coast in Hadera. It is owned and operated by the Israel Electric Corporation (IEC). Operation began in 1981. A coal port was built in the sea adjacent to the station. The production will be replaced by natural gas operated combined-cycle power plants. The Orot Rabin Power Plant looks impressive for its size. An 17-meter-high escarpment stands between the watercourse and the power plant. It masks the plant’s hum and shields from view most of the plant’s superstructure. It also serves as a giant “ashtray.” A thin patina of the rust-red sandy soil covers a gigantic waste dump for 620,000 cubic meters of coal ash.

Orot Rabin uses the seawater to cool its electricity production units. After use, the water is returned to the sea, about ten degrees warmer than it originally was. No pollution is involved.

The original plan also called to create the biggest jacuzzi on the face of the earth – three giant warm water lagoons that, like the Hadera River, were to be fed with warm seawater expelled by the power plant.

A large desalination plant was built next to the power station.

Originally the power station was named Maor David after David Shiffman, who had served as chairman of the IEC. However, after the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, the station was renamed (like many other roads and streets in Israel) Orot Rabin – “Rabin Lights”.

Aerial View of Orot Rabin Power Station and Park Nahal Hadera

Aerial photography drones have revolutionized nature photography. This clip is an aerial view of both Orot Rabin Power Station and Park Nahal Hadera, located on the coast of Hadera in Israel. Enjoy!

Park Nahal Hadera

Park Nahal Hadera is located between Givat Olga and Orot Rabin Power Station. It offers  green lawns, footpaths, bicycle trails, picnic areas, a nice bridge over the stream, and facilities for visitors. This 0.75 square kilometer (750 dunams) park surrounds a 40-metre-wide creek with a 1.3-km-long promenade running on its bank. The park includes two eucalyptus groves that were planted in the 1930s to prevent the sand dunes from spreading.

The south bank of the river is now a promenade with picnic tables and benches and a Fountain Square at its center. Warm seawater bubbles up into a shallow pool equipped with concrete seats for visitors. Fisherman catch saltwater mullet.

The warmed seawater gushes out into the watercourse, “flushing” out the last section of the creek, which has been widened and had its banks reinforced. The designers siphoned off and rerouted four percent of the warm seawater expelled by the cooling system of the Orot Rabin Power Plant’s giant turbines and channeled 6,000 cubic meters of warm seawater per hour through two-meter-wide pipes to a point upstream. The water tumbles into the river down four waterfalls each 2.5 meters in height. Beside the waterfalls are pools 80 centimeters deep, equipped with special seats. The water is clean and has a temperature of 24 degrees Celsius in winter and 37 degrees Celsius in summer – an attractive recreational venue all year round.

How to get to Park Nahal Hadera:

Take the Coastal Highway (Route no. 2) to the Givat Olga Interchange, turn west and head towards the sea. Turn right at the first opportunity and continue for 2 kilometers on an asphalt road until you reach the riverbank adjacent to the Orot Rabin Power Station.