Stalactite cave discovered 900 feet below Jerusalem
Workers digging route for new water pipe to Jerusalem and the West Bank find 46-foot-long subterranean cavern
Work crews digging a new uphill water pipeline to Jerusalem chanced upon an unusual and ancient underground stalactite cave, Hadashot television news reported Friday.
The cave, some 280 meters (900 feet) below ground, is 14 meters (46 feet) long and was found earlier this week by Water Authority workers just outside (and under) the capital’s city limits.
In the case of the newfound cave, the water dripping through it was clean and fresh, workers reported. The television report showed one worker drinking from a puddle on the floor.
The tunnel is due to be completed in 2020 and will supply water to Jerusalem and the Palestinian Authority for the next 50 years.
The cave was found while digging a 13.5 kilometer (8.4 mile) section of the tunnel between Ksalon, near Beit Shemesh, and Ein Kerem in the capital’s southwest.
“On Sunday, while digging, we found this large cavity,” the project supervisor told Hadashot news. “We knew we could not continue.”
Digging has been halted while the Nature and Parks Authority and other agencies document and explore the stalactite cave.