Water Management: the Decision Making Process

The scarcity of potable water in both urban and rural settings requires that key decision-makers in water management explore innovative and timely solutions. However, the range of solutions currently under consideration are not well understood or documented in the literature. To fill this gap, this study used in-depth, semi-structured, open-ended interviews (n=7) to explore water managers knowledge and reasoning about solutions to water shortage, including practical considerations about cost and sustainability of water conservation and conversion. Findings revealed that water managers knowledge of potential solutions largely revolve around conservation and desalination of brackish water to produce short-term potable water. Water managers recommend that investment in and expansion of existing desalination technologies like reverse osmosis constitute a promising solution to the growing crisis of global water shortages. This study provided a preliminary understanding of practical barriers and facilitators considered by water managers in their search for long-term water management solutions.