Substituting Freshwater: Can Ocean Desalination and Water Recycling Capacities Substitute for Groundwater Depletion in California?

Pierre Badiuzzaman, Eoin McLaughlin and Darren McCauley
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Pierre Badiuzzaman: School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St. Andrews
Darren McCauley: School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St. Andrews

Discussion Papers in Environment and Development Economics from University of St. Andrews, School of Geography and Sustainable Development

Abstract: While the sustainability of resource depletion is a longstanding environmental concern, wider attention has recently been given to growing water scarcity and groundwater depletion. This study seeks to test the substitutability assumption embedded in weak sustainability indicators using a case study of Californian water supply. The volume of groundwater depletion is used as a proxy for unsustainable water consumption, and defined by synthesising existing research estimates into low, medium and high depletion baselines. These are compared against projected supply increases from ocean desalination and water recycling by 2035, to determine whether new, drought-proof water sources can substitute for currently unsustainable groundwater consumption. Results show that maximum projected supply of new water, 2.47 million acre feet per year (MAF/yr), is sufficient to meet low depletion estimates of 2.02 MAF/yr, but fails to come near the high baseline of 3.58 MAF/yr. This does not necessarily indicate physical limitations of substitutability, but more so socio-economic limitations influenced by high comparative costs. By including capacities in demand-substitutability via urban water conservation, maximum pre-dicted capacities reach 5.57 MAF/yr, indicating wide room for substitution. Based on these results, investment in social and institutional capital is an important factor to enhance demand-side substitutability of water and other natural resources, which has been somewhat neglected by the literature on the substitutability of natural resources.

Keywords: Substitutability; Weak Sustainability; Water; Desalination; Water Recycling; California. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q01 Q25 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017-07
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr and nep-env
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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