Nahal Alexander


Nahal Alexander is a river in Israel that flows from the western side of the Samaria mountain belt in the West Bank to the Mediterranean Sea, north of Netanya. The length of the river is about 45 km. Several small streams flow into Nahal Alexander: Nablus, Te'enim, Ometz, Bahan, and Avihail. Most of the river is located in the Hefer Valley.

Flora and fauna

Nahal Alexander is the habitat of soft-shell turtles that can reach a size of 1.20 meters and weigh up to 50 kilograms. In addition to giant turtles, there are coots and other waterfowl, nutrias and swamp cats. Indigenous fish include catfish, tilapia, river eels and mullet. On the southern bank there are shifting sand dunes and on the northern bank, a eucalyptus grove.

History

Hurvat Samra, an ancient ruin on a hill overlooking Nahal Alexander, may have been a customs station for goods transported down the river to the port near the estuary.
Beit Yanai beach is located where the river flows into the Mediterranean. North of the beach are remnants of a quay built in 1938, during the British Mandate. It was used for clandestine Jewish immigration to Palestine when British authorities turned away ships of European Jews fleeing the Nazis.
In the winter of 1991, Nahal Alexander overflowed and most of its soft-shelled turtle population drifted into the Mediterranean. When the remaining eggs that failed to hatch, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority launched a project to collect the eggs, incubate them and return the turtles to the water.
In 2003, Nahal Alexander was part of a cleanup project that won first prize in the Riverprize environmental rehabilitation competition in Australia after being one of the most polluted lakes in Israel for.