Eliminating Water Scarcity in San Diego Count

Due to climate change, semi-arid regions like San Diego County in Southern California will see more frequent and extreme drought events. An increasing demand for water combined with a decreasing amount of available water supply could lead to stress on the freshwater resource in this region. Alternative sources of water will be needed to supply the necessary water to the region. San Diego County is a region that is already using desalination technology and recycled water. Unless desalination and recycled water start supplying an increased share of water to San Diego County, the area will not be able to sustain its inhabitants going forward. Desalinated water should be allocated to the residential sector to supply most of the direct consumption; this will free up freshwater sources for the agriculture sector. The agriculture sector should utilize recycled water at capacity, and then be supplemented by the freshwater sources. By using a water allocation model to calculate economic surplus both with and without alternative water sources, this thesis will show that desalination and recycled water will create diversification in the water portfolio for San Diego County, eliminating the water scarcity issue.