March 2026 saw the third-worst drought observed in U.S. history, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The only two months that were worse were July and August 1934, during the infamous Dust Bowl.
Let me give you a view framed through the lens of our clients and experts on the front lines. We help manage water issues for utilities, communities and companies in all fifty states, from a 700-square-mile watershed-level restoration project to flood management for tiny towns to water desalination facilities. From what I’ve seen, the answer to whether we have enough water is both yes AND no.
The hard truth is that in much of the U.S. we are living beyond our hydrological means. In addition to drought, 2025 saw record "weather whiplash," with 36% of the U.S. experiencing drought — leading to fires and dust — followed by historic flooding in some regions.
Quantity isn’t the only challenge. The U.S. received a C- for drinking water, D for stormwater management and D+ for wastewater in the latest independent evaluation of U.S. water systems from the American Society of Civil Engineers.
To the positive, it’s possible to rise to the challenge and address our current water supply and management challenges. How? We know that water is very much a regional issue, yet there are broad steps that nearly any company and community should consider.
Three key steps include shifting how we think about water; managing demand by making the most of what we have; and diversifying supply.
Water is not only an environmental issue, but an economic fundamental. While that has always been true, now the stakes are higher.
Today’s growth areas such as advanced manufacturing, health care and data-intensive computing all depend on safe, reliable, and affordable water systems. So does our food security and the 34 million American jobs in the agriculture sector and food supply.
When areas face water insecurity, people can feel the impact in terms of health concerns and housing prices. For companies, water reliability is a competitive issue, and disruptions — whether from nature or inadequate infrastructure — can be a material business risk. As a result, water issues are influencing investment decisions. Water is key to long-term business and community stability.
While this is sometimes dismissed as a local or regional concern, we need to recognize that it is a national and even global issue. For example, inland waterways handle nearly 14% of U.S. intercity freight and are critical for bulk cargo, so when a 2023 drought caused barge rates on Mississippi River to surge more than 400%, there were far-reaching effects.
Today, risks are interconnected. To address water as a vital economic issue, we need to do a better job of managing demand.
Water demand tends to be greatest at times when supplies can be lower, since there is a greater need for crop irrigation and public water use is highest in the summer, when some areas are particularly hot and dry. New technologies and approaches to managing water assets regionally can help communities and businesses get the most from existing infrastructure.
For example, smart meters can provide useful insights for developing demand management programs during droughts, and advanced sensor networks and real-time monitoring systems enable operators to quickly detect and correct leaks. Again, this has real economic implications. Nearly one-fifth of treated drinking water is lost to leaks and pipe bursts before reaching customers, costing utilities over $6.4 billion annually.
We also have tools to map and create digital twins of entire water systems, including underground infrastructure. Utilities can use these virtual replicas to assess the condition of aging infrastructure and prioritize maintenance to extend its lifespan. A planned approach to upgrades tends to cost less than emergency repairs, and management based on data rather than guesswork also is likely to be more cost-efficient. These tools also can model scenarios that range from flash floods and drought to industrial expansion or community growth.
With smart investments, we can shift from reactive crisis management to more proactive planning to ensure reliable water service despite increasing demands. Yet, demand is only one side of the equation.
Some people are surprised to hear we can diversify water supply. Not only is it possible, it is imperative.
Many areas can no longer count on the availability of surface water, and four in 10 aquifers reached record-low water levels in the last decade. There are steps we can take to safeguard and even help replenish that supply, but they won’t necessarily be fast enough to reliably meet demand. We need to move beyond “easy water” and diversify our water supply.
Today, two of the most viable options are large-scale water recycling, which involves purifying wastewater, and desalination, which is achieved by removing salt from brackish water.
You might associate desalination with coastal cities turning to sea water as a source. Yet, brackish groundwater can be an option in places you might not expect. In fact, brackish water is readily available in 48 states and at total volumes 35 times greater than the amount of fresh groundwater used each year.
Brackish water is already being used for industrial purposes, like cooling, that do not require the highest levels of water quality. That’s good news for businesses from data centers to oil and gas. States like Texas have been using brackish water treatment for years and other states like New Mexico are exploring the possibility through reverse osmosis to generate drinkable water for humans and irrigation for crops.
The approach requires technical expertise, community buy-in, and effective approaches to managing potential environmental impacts from concentrated byproducts of salt and minerals. Yet, brackish water could become a high-value asset, a buffer in water-stressed areas and a growing industrial option from coast to coast.
No matter the approach each community chooses, now is the time to plan for a future that might look and feel very different from the world we live in today.
From making the most of the water we have today to expanding our supply, we need to treat water systems as critical infrastructure — just as important as energy systems, transportation networks, and digital capacity. Water management will increasingly determine where industries locate, how communities grow, how resilient we are, and whether we can sustain the boom times or go bust.
Joe Sczurko, President of WSP in the U.S., brings more than 35 of leadership experience and a deep understanding of the industry to meet evolving client needs. He has a proven track record of building, leading and fostering collaboration in diverse multi-sector and multi-service businesses across consulting and engineering services.
