Drinking Away the Future : Policy Solutions for a Sustainable Water Supply in the U.S.

The sustainability of the U.S. water supply is fraught with challenges and inefficiencies. This paper addresses various facets of this problem with three primary policy alternatives. First, we propose that the federal government implement governance and pricing changes that facilitate widespread conservation. Second, we propose that consumers receive tax credits and information to curb household water use. Finally, we propose new financing mechanisms to encourage infrastructure upgrades and adoption of new irrigation technologies to reduce water consumption in both urban and agricultural areas. These three alternatives would be most beneficial if implemented together in a comprehensive solution—changes to the governance and pricing structure of water in the first alternative would multiply the impacts of second and third alternative.