Environmental groups appeal against ‘outdated’ breakwater project on Haifa beach

Two prominent environmental organizations have lodged appeals in recent days against plans for a 1.7-kilometer (one-mile) long series of rocky breakwaters standing 2.3 meters (7.5 feet) above the sea surface at a beach in northern Israel.

The nongovernmental organizations say such a substantial structure on the beach at Kiryat Haim in Haifa will obstruct views of the sea, endanger surfers and bathers, and trap polluted water and waste running off from the city into the Mediterranean Sea.

Dubbing the plan an outdated and ineffective solution to the shrinking of the beach and erosion of beach infrastructure, the Zalul marine protection organization, and the legal advocacy NGO Adam Teva V’Din, demand that the National Planning Council’s appeals committee order the cancellation of the current plan, which the National Committee for the Protection of Coastal Environments approved in May.

They want the planners to consider softer, more environmentally sensitive options, such as artificial reefs and sand-filled geotubes, which, they say, were not given due weight during the statutory planning process.

The case highlights issues affecting much of Israel’s Mediterranean coast. Climate change is driving increasingly violent winter storms, as the waves whip and damage coastal infrastructure before dragging the sand on the beaches back out to sea. The replenishment of that sand is then obstructed by marinas and ports that jut out into the sea, preventing the sand’s movement northward.

The beach at Kiryat Haim in northern Israel, with the Haifa Bay in the background, July 2, 2025.

There is no national policy to address the problem.

“Coastal protections in Israel are always carried out at the last minute and not as part of a regulated policy, which creates constant pressure to implement the familiar solution — breakwaters — without enough time to try other options or properly evaluate alternatives,” said a statement from Adam Teva v’Din.

It added: “The concern is that without comprehensive planning and a systemic view of all the impacts, we’ll end up with a continuous line of breakwaters along the entire Israeli coastline.”

In the case of the Kiryat Haim beach, the movement of sand has been hindered by the construction of a second container port in Haifa Bay a decade ago.

The new container port in Haifa, northern Israel, with Kiryat Haim’s beach to the northeast. (Google Maps)

The neighborhood’s beach, which was at least 25 meters (82 feet) deep in 2004, before a promenade was built, has shrunk to anywhere from 20 meters to zero.

An old, battered, abandoned lifesaver’s hut, originally built on land, now stands in seawater, and a new one has been built on what remains of the beach.

The spraying of an additional 30,000 to 40,000 tons of sand each year from a long tube attached to a dredger has failed to halt the erosion.

Responsible for maintaining sand quantities in the area, and aware that sand feeding has not provided a sufficient solution, the Israel Port Company initiated planning for a breakwater several years ago, with the intention of restoring the beach to its 2004 depth.

A section of the beach promenade at Kiryat Haim that meets the shoreline, July 2, 2025.

In its appeal, Zalul claims that the planners took an overly narrow, technical approach to the problem, relying on poor numerical models rather than undertaking practical experiments with different options in the sea.

The NGO calculates that, in addition to constructing a more nature-based defense against the waves, at least 200,000 tons of sand need to be replenished on Kiryat Haim’s beach annually.

It says fixed breakwaters disrupt natural water flow and sand movement; can cause strong rip currents at their sides and towards the open sea, posing a serious danger to bathers; prevent popular sports such as surfing and windsurfing; and are a less flexible option in an era of climate change-driven rising sea levels.

It cites successful projects overseas that use geotextile tubes — fabric sleeves that allow water to pass through but seal off the sand. These, Zalul says, help prevent erosion and encourage biodiversity. They are relatively low-cost, simple to install, and can be easily removed or modified.

Geotubes have earned a negative reputation in Israel, following a failed experiment off the coast of Ashkelon in the south.

Zalul’s deputy CEO, Yuval Arbel, told the Times of Israel during a tour of the Kiryat Haim beach that the Ashkelon geotube was not properly constructed.

Aerial mapping shows how breakwaters along the shores of central Herzliya have altered the distribution of sand. (Google Maps)

Regarding the disadvantages of fixed breakwaters, he cited the example of central Herzliya, where a series of structures has trapped enough sand to create large beaches, at the expense of beaches further north.

In a statement, the Israel Port Company said that “the decision to advance the construction of breakwaters in Kiryat Haim was intended, first and foremost, to return the beach to the public, after years of erosion and neglect. As part of a systematic and in-depth examination of alternatives, the geotube method was also evaluated, but was found to be unsuitable for Israel’s coasts and was even rejected by the Environmental Protection Ministry. The attempt to implement this method in Israel, in Ashkelon, ended in complete failure.”

It added that the chosen option ensured the beach’s restoration while protecting the marine and terrestrial environments, and that an environmental impact assessment was conducted with close guidance from Environmental Protection Ministry officials.

“Any further delay in the project will only deepen the damage and cause irreversible damage to the beach,” the statement said.

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