Water Reuse Options to Expand Water Supply Portfolios

Water scarcity issues are affecting communities across the globe; if not at present than in the near future. Water supplies for the most part are fixed: what we had yesterday and what we have tomorrow on our planet does not change significantly. Our challenges for effectively managing our water are plentiful, unlike the water supply. One key challenge is that while water quantity is fixed, changes in climate have resulted in shifts in water patterns and, consequently, many communities which were water-rich in the past are facing a new challenge as water upply and water demand no longer balance. To complicate matters, many communities with already limited water resources continue to experience high growth, which only exacerbates their water supply problem. Economic development also is resulting in consumption of the water resources at an increasing rate, and creating conveniences which are shifting growing populations to coastal and urban locations. Moreover, the largest growth of people is occurring in countries that have the most potential to improve economically (India, China, Africa, South America). Together, population growth, economic development, and climate change are changing the water balance for many communities.