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The Essenes created catch basins just west of their community where the runoff from the rain in the Judea Wilderness cascaded over the cliff. They dug more than 100 feet of tunnel through solid rock to bring water to the foot of the cliff; from there it ran in plastered channels more than 1,000 feet to the settlement on the plateau below.
The effort to dig through this solid rock is an indication of the level of commitment of the Essenes.