I don't know if this is useful, but if you're looking to acquire more background knowledge from someone with 'expertise' on water scarcity, perhaps you might consider contacting the Singaporean government?
Water scarcity became a major policy issue for them around the time they were kicked out of the Malaysian Federation in the 60s, probably because their main water supply is located in Malaysia... They currently have the capacity to satisfy 30% of their water demand using 'reclaimed water' (i.e. recycled) and 10% using desalinated. Although I don't think they actually need to fully utilise these capacities as 50-75 per cent of their water needs are met by man-made rainfall catchments [0].
I realise how strange it is to say 'just go have a chat with the Singaporean government', but I suspect they'd be happy share their expertise. My sketchy understanding is that Singapore has found that 'reclaimed' (i.e. recycled) water is far more cost-effective (and cleaner) compared to desalinated water.
And despite being a semi-benevolent autocracy, the Singaporean government has had to work pretty hard to convince their population that there's nothing wrong with drinking recycled water (i.e. water that previously had poop in it). Learning how they overcame this issue could be valuable...
Water scarcity became a major policy issue for them around the time they were kicked out of the Malaysian Federation in the 60s, probably because their main water supply is located in Malaysia... They currently have the capacity to satisfy 30% of their water demand using 'reclaimed water' (i.e. recycled) and 10% using desalinated. Although I don't think they actually need to fully utilise these capacities as 50-75 per cent of their water needs are met by man-made rainfall catchments [0].
I realise how strange it is to say 'just go have a chat with the Singaporean government', but I suspect they'd be happy share their expertise. My sketchy understanding is that Singapore has found that 'reclaimed' (i.e. recycled) water is far more cost-effective (and cleaner) compared to desalinated water.
And despite being a semi-benevolent autocracy, the Singaporean government has had to work pretty hard to convince their population that there's nothing wrong with drinking recycled water (i.e. water that previously had poop in it). Learning how they overcame this issue could be valuable...
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_supply_and_sanitation_in...