In U.S. climate policy, energy and transit dominate the conversation. It’s time water — perhaps the most essential resource of all — get its due.
Last fall, abnormal dryness and drought affected more than 78 percent of the American population—the highest percentage in the U.S. Drought Monitor’s 25 years of existence. States like Arizona and Texas are feeling it most. The Arizona Department of Water Resources reported April 2020 to March 2025 ranked as the third hottest and fourth driest span in its records, with “exceptional” long-term drought advancing into all counties. These statistics are not just alarming; they are a call to action.
America is far behind the comprehensive federal water policy adoption of many countries, including Singapore, Israel, the UAE, and Thailand. These countries are beginning to establish national strategies that adapt to the impacts of climate change and address the water scarcity risk head-on. That is to say, they are committed to not only investing more in water infrastructure, but to diversifying their water sources – considering desalination, wastewater treatment, and water reuse technologies. For example, to reduce its dependence on imported water, Singapore incorporated reuse capacity as part of its water strategy, setting an initial goal to supply 40% of its water needs from reused water. The effort has been massively successful; Singapore has already reached this goal and expects it to increase to 55% by 2060.
Historically, solutions like seawater desalination were dismissed as too energy-intensive to be economically feasible at scale. That’s no longer the case. Breakthroughs in water technology—particularly the development of energy recovery devices, have dramatically improved energy efficiency. In fact, with the introduction of energy recovery devices, seawater reverse osmosis desalination costs have decreased significantly since 2004.
Desalination is already beginning to stand as a critical pillar of water procurement in several states. For instance, the Carlsbad Desalination Plant in California —one of the largest in the Western Hemisphere— supplies the San Diego region with approximately 10 percent of its drinking water needs. It also employs energy recovery devices, saving the estimated equivalent of the average annual power consumed by 13,530 homes. In Florida, the Tampa Bay Seawater Desalination Plant can provide up to 25 million gallons per day of drinking water. Other forms of desalination – like brackish desalination, which can be used to harness slightly salty water from aquifers – could provide water needs for industry and agriculture farther inland, like in the Southwest.
And desalination is just one part of a larger strategy. Municipal reuse and industrial wastewater treatment are equally critical. This spring in Texas, El Paso Water broke ground on the first U.S. facility that will treat wastewater for direct reuse in a city water supply. However, not nearly enough communities are taking advantage of water reuse. One recent analysis found that just over a quarter of treated municipal wastewater is reused across the seven states that depend on the Colorado River. However, If basin states raised reuse rates to just 40%, they could gain enough water to supply nearly 2 million homes.
The need for water policy is even more pressing when one considers that some of the fastest growing states in the US – like California, Arizona, and Texas – are also facing some of the most severe water challenges. Even more concerning, many of those states are also hubs of data center growth - putting further pressure on water as a resource. The International Energy Association reports that an average 100 megawatt hyperscale data center in the U.S. consumes around 2 million liters per day for both direct and indirect use. In Arizona alone, 26 data centers have been built or planned in high-water stress areas since 2022.
If we are serious about building a resilient future in America, then we must expand our water sources. Protecting Americans’ access to water and protecting economic growth will require investment in advanced water systems. If we start to adapt a thoughtful and diverse water policy that looks at “all of the above” options, it could pay dividends in economic stability, public health, and environmental protection.
It’s time to stop viewing water as an afterthought in the climate conversation. Resilience isn’t just solar panels and wind turbines; it’s also desalination plants, wastewater treatment facilities, and establishing a water policy that will diversify our water sources.
Kelley Vendeland oversees the company’s sustainability program, driving strategy in Energy Recovery’s core and new markets. Kelley joined from Recurrent Energy, one of the largest solar project developers in the U.S.
