Water Supply and Scarcity
According to the United Nations, water scarcity is defined as the point at which the aggregate impact of all users impinges on the supply or quality of water. Water scarcity is a relative concept and can occur at any level of supply or demand. Scarcity may be socially-constructed or the consequence of altered supply patterns stemming from climate change. Resources available in this sub-theme include U.S. drought monitoring data, workshops for rural water supply systems, among other resources that support water supply and scarcity.
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Water Supply and Scarcity Resources
Clearing the Waters: A Focus on Water Quality Solutions
Published:
March 22, 2010Pacific Institute
This report released by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) for World Water Day, March 22, 2010, lays out steps and solutions to address our urgent water-quality challenges––and they start with awareness and will to action.Read more
Overview of Greywater Reuse: the Potential of Greywater Systems to Aid Sustainable Water Management
Published:
November 18, 2010Pacific Institute
This paper provides a broad overview of the state of greywater implementation and policy, with a special emphasis on the Middle East. It examines the potential of greywater to reduce the water and energy intensity of water uses, and it analyzes key issues that must be addressed for greywater to be...Read more
Water for Energy: Future Water Needs for Electricity in the Intermountain West
Published:
November 3, 2011Pacific Institute
This analysis evaluates future water needs for different energy futures and identifies a growing risk of conflicts between electricity production and water availability in the U.S. Intermountain West. The new report also identifies strategies to ensure the long-term sustainable use of both...Read more
Water-use Efficiency and Productivity: Rethinking the Basin Approach
Published:
December 4, 2011Pacific Institute
This article analyzes three fundamental flaws in the traditional approach to water-efficiency or the “basin approach,” including the assumption that all consumptive water use is beneficial, a lack of attention to water productivity measures, and the numerous, important “co-benefits” that are...Read more
Multiple-Use Water Services (MUS): Recommendations for a Robust and Sustainable Approach
Published:
March 14, 2012Pacific Institute
This report examines Multiple-Use Water Services (MUS), a water-provision and management approach that has emerged as a way to realize the poverty alleviation potential of water projects. By connecting livelihoods to water supply, MUS seeks to improve nutrition, boost income, and help the rural and...Read more
Urban Water Demand in California to 2100: Incorporating Climate Change
Published:
August 28, 2012Pacific Institute
This report describes how warming due to climate change is causing increases in water demand for landscapes, and will continue to drive up future water demand, particularly as more Californians settle in warmer, drier inland areas.Read more
Key Issues in Seawater Desalination in California: Costs and Financing
Published:
November 27, 2012Pacific Institute
This report assesses desalination costs, financing, and risks associated with desalination projects. Read more
California's Water Footprint
Pacific Institute
This report analyzes the state's water footprint, that is the amount of water required to produce the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the beverages we drink, and the other goods on which we rely. Read more
Regional focus:
United StatesCalifornia's Water Footprint
Published:
December 11, 2012Pacific Institute
This report analyzes the state's water footprint – that is the amount of water required to produce the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the beverages we drink, and the other goods on which we rely. Read more
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