Associate Professor Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Population growth and climate change have strained existing water supplies and have required municipalities to focus on demand-side water management strategies to ensure reliable water provisions. Water conservation incentives and technologies have been utilized by residential customers to curb water demand during water shortages. While domestic water conservation measures help address immediate, local water availability challenges, the long-term, basin-scale implications of changing water use are less clear. In the long-term, the effect of water conservation measures on total water demand can be negated by continued population and economic growth. Additionally, the dynamic between increasing water users and decreasing per capita demand can change the overall amount of water used for indoor or outdoor purposes. This in turn has the potential to significantly alter the amount of water deliveries being consumed, thereby reducing effluent available for downstream communities. This research presents a generalized model analyzing the impact of changes to population and per capita water demand on downstream water availability through regional differences in indoor/outdoor water use and end fate. In particular, this research focuses on a shared basin over a long-time scale highlighting the implications of long-term water conservation programs and development for water managers.
