Not a silver bullet: Social perspectives on water desalination and reuse in Texas

Keywords: water, desalination, reuse, Q-method, perspective, discourse, Texas
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Friday
Session Start / End Time: 2/25/2022 11:20 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/25/2022 12:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 9

Abstract

Climate disruptions, particularly drought, threaten water systems that may undermine urban and economic growth in Texas. Knowledge of the perspectives of key stakeholders in water management and policymaking is not well known, even though utilities in Texas are pursuing efforts to develop water reuse and marine desalination for municipal and industrial purposes. Here we use a water portfolio informed deployment of Q-method to identify stakeholder perspectives on desalination and water reuse in Texas, focusing on El Paso, San Antonio, and Corpus Christi. We identified three factors or social perspectives. For “Diversification is Key,” water securitization reflects an agnostic view of alternative water supplies: desalination and water reuse are important components in a suite of possible solutions for supporting urban water security, along with conservation, demand management, and improved storage. “Conservation Before Desalination” is cautious towards desalination while advancing the idea that Texas lawmakers should implement water conservation measures before desalination. “Private Sector Can Do It” promotes private sector involvement as necessary, if not preferred, for implementing desalination projects because of superior technical capacity and risk management. Cross-cutting themes among the social perspectives include the predominance of desalination as the policy-relevant water supply alternative in the discourse, different ideas about the role of the state in water governance, and the overarching importance of human capital in achieving water security. We also found agreement on the need to address environmental considerations, to consider water reuse for resiliency, and the long-term need to protect water source areas.