The Kishon is mentioned six times in the Hebrew Bible, among them the following verses: Following the end of the First World War there was an increase in the number of Jewish settlers arriving in Palestine, the Third Aliyah.

[6] Considered the most polluted river in Israel by several government authorities on the matter,[7] it has been the subject of controversy regarding the struggle to improve the water quality.

[10] As of January 4, 2016; 1,000,000 cubic meters per year of potable water is added to the Kishon River and had decreased concentrations of salts, nitrates and phosphates, by over 50%.

[17][needs update][18] Since 2001, it was discovered that Shayetet 13 veterans had high occurrence of cancer, probably due to training in the polluted Kishon River and Haifa Bay.

A new probe initiated in December 2021 concluded in February 2022 that the veterans had been exposed to a high amount of toxic chemicals, and it was subsequently decided to provide compensation to anyone who had trained in the Kishon River and fallen ill.[20]