Sde Dov land contamination discovery could delay construction

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The Ministry for Environmental protection and Israel Land Authority announced today that recent tests conducted in Tel Aviv’s Sde Dov area indicated initial findings of contamination of the soil and groundwater with PFAS compounds — chemical substances that have been used over the years in firefighting foams.

Sde Dov, which operated for decades as a civil and military airport, underwent a land investigation and remediation process between 2020 and 2023, which was approved by the Ministry of Environmental Protection in accordance with the rules in force at the time. The ministry notes that in those years there was no mandatory policy for testing PFAS contaminants in the soil, and therefore these substances were not tested or treated as part of the remediation work carried out on the site.

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According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the contamination found in the groundwater does not endanger water sources currently used to produce drinking water. However, this is an environmental risk, partly because the area is intended for the construction of a large-scale residential neighborhood. In the Sde Dov district, some 16,000 homes are planned, along with commercial and office space and hotel rooms, and some of the companies are already in the excavation and backfilling stages.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection explains that as part of the future development and construction work, extensive excavations will be required to construct buildings and infrastructure. During the excavations, large amounts of soil will be removed from the area, some of which may be contaminated. If such soil is not removed and treated at designated sites, it may create an environmental risk. In addition, due to the site’s proximity to the coast, the possibility of impact on the beach and the sea is also being examined.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Environmental Protection announced that soil tests will be carried out at the depths where construction is planned, sand samples will be taken from the nearby beach, and a way will be examined to determine what levels of contamination require soil treatment.

Published by Globes, Israel business news — en.globes.co.il — on February 4, 2026.