A Tale of Three Cities: New Water Infrastructure in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego

The POLIS Water Sustainability Project at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, has looked south of the border to see what can be learned from the experiences of the major cities in California. The POLIS findings are contained in a document titled A Tale of Three Cities: New Water Infrastructure in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego.

“This case study investigates the water supply contexts and water conservation programs of three large cities in California: Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego,” writes Shawn Courtney.

“It is part of ongoing efforts by the Water Sustainability Project to highlight communities that are incorporating comprehensive demand management and 'new water infrastructure' into their water management programs.”

“Each city faces both growing populations and mounting water scarcity due to climate changes, new regulations and environmental concerns. Though they developed as cities in part thanks to supply-side approaches, each is now applying elements of the water soft path approach to address concerns about future water supplies.”

Posted September 2009