RECAP OF DESALINATION AND REUSE AS PART OF THE WATER SUPPLY PORTFOLIO By Dr. Marshall W. Davert Executive Vice President, Global Major Pursuits Director, Stantec
The ability of large utilities, agricultural entities, and industrial users to address their long-term water supply demands is an increasingly intractable problem around the world. Fully two-thirds of the world’s population experiences some level of water stress - defined as a period during which water withdrawals exceed renewable supplies - during at least a portion of every year. Increasing population, dwindling and unreliable surface water and groundwater supplies, aging infrastructure, limited ability to pay, social equity concerns, and green energy/ decarbonization pressures are all front-of-mind issues.
In this environment, it is imperative that every aspect of the water cycle be considered. This
paradigm - known as “One Water” - places equal importance on all potential sources of water supply: rainfall, groundwater, surface waters, stormwater, desalinated water (both seawater and brackish water), and wastewater
from municipalities, agriculture, and industry. The emergence of modern technologies over the last 50 years (with considerable advancements over the last several decades) has significantly improved the safety, reliability, and cost of desalinated water and recycled wastewater. Consequently, many organizations are
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