Climate Resilience and Alternative Water Supplies: A Path to Sustainability

Published in

Mark and Focus

4 min readJul 19, 2023

Climate change is a pressing global issue altering the availability and quality of water resources. As a result, communities worldwide are looking towards alternative water sources to build resilience and adapt to changing conditions. Read how Santa Monica is bolstering its water supply resilience amid ongoing droughts.

By Robert C. Brears

Climate change is one of humanity’s largest challenges today, severely impacting the environment, economy, and social well-being. One of the most significant consequences of climate change is the alteration of water resources and availability, with more frequent and severe droughts and floods affecting communities worldwide. To build resilience and adapt to changing conditions, alternative water sources have become increasingly important, offering a way to secure water supplies and reduce vulnerability to climate impacts.

The Impact of Climate Change on Water Supplies

As the planet warms, changes in precipitation patterns and increased evaporation alter water resources' availability and quality. This puts significant pressure on traditional water sources, such as surface water and groundwater, that communities and ecosystems rely on. This can lead to water scarcity, declining water quality, and increased resource competition.

Alternative Water Sources for Resilience

Exploring alternative water sources is one way to build resilience in climate change. These include rainwater harvesting, stormwater management, wastewater recycling, and desalination. By diversifying water supplies, communities can reduce their dependence on traditional sources, build redundancy into their systems, and be better prepared to adapt to changing conditions.

Rainwater harvesting is the practice of collecting and storing rainwater for later use. It is a simple and effective way to supplement traditional water supplies, particularly in areas with high rainfall. Stormwater management involves capturing and treating rainwater runoff from urban areas, reducing the risk of flooding and providing a valuable water source for reuse. Wastewater recycling, also known as water reclamation or reuse, treats and uses wastewater for non-potable purposes, such as irrigation or industrial use. Desalination, on the other hand, involves removing salt and other impurities from seawater or brackish water, producing freshwater for human consumption and other uses.

Santa Monica’s Innovative Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project

The City of Santa Monica’s Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project (SWIP), completed in November 2022, is a pioneering water sustainability initiative. The project, part of the city’s Sustainable Water Master Plan, aims to bolster water supply resilience amid ongoing droughts.

SWIP’s infrastructure includes a large tank for stormwater capture and treatment and an underground facility processing one million gallons of wastewater, stormwater, dry-weather runoff, and brackish groundwater daily for non-potable uses. This system helps check potential ocean pollutants like oil, paint, and plastics.

While current regulations limit SWIP to non-potable uses, future revisions may allow the city to treat recycled water to local drinking water standards, reducing its dependence on imported water. The city expects SWIP to eventually supply drinking water to 20% of the population and improve local water quality by diverting 100 million gallons of pollution annually from Santa Monica Bay.

The SWIP, a nearly invisible facility located beneath a parking lot, also entails upgrading the Santa Monica Urban Runoff Recycling Facility, marking the state’s first project that injects treated stormwater directly into a groundwater basin.

The Take-Out

Incorporating alternative water sources is crucial to climate resilience, enabling communities to adapt to changing conditions and build a sustainable future.