in northern israel however intensity of pesticide use tonneskm is more in line with the oecd average in one or more pesticides were detected at around of the water authority s monitoring sites in coastal aquifers although none had pesticide concentrations exceeding israeli drinking water standards there is some evidence that pesticide use has begun to decline in response to wider adoption of integrated pest management ipm and the need to meet the pesticide residue standards of the european union a key export market for israel s horticultural products