How to Solve a Drought: Proven Strategies for Water Resilience

Image by Peter Ganja

There is no single solution to addressing drought now spreading around the globe. The most effective approach combines using less water, maximizing existing supplies, and developing new sources. Communities that combine these strategies build long-term resilience against declining water supplies.

 1. Modernize Agricultural Irrigation

Agriculture accounts for approximately 70% of global freshwater withdrawals, offering the largest potential for water savings.

• Drip Irrigation: Replacing traditional flood irrigation with drip systems delivers water directly to plant roots, improving water-use efficiency by over 60% in certain crops.

• Overcoming Adoption Barriers: While high initial equipment costs present an obstacle, targeted subsidies and financing programs help farmers make the transition.

 2. Recycle and Reuse Wastewater

Instead of discharging treated wastewater, communities can clean and reuse it for irrigation, industrial processes, groundwater recharge, or advanced potable reuse (drinking water).

• Global & Local Success: Israel recycles nearly 90% of its municipal wastewater for agricultural use. In California, Orange County purifies wastewater to replenish underground aquifers that feed local drinking wells. 

3. Implement Desalination for Coastal Regions

Desalination provides coastal communities with a reliable freshwater source, primarily using reverse osmosis to force seawater through membranes that remove salt and impurities.

• Key Considerations: Desalination is energy-intensive, costly, and produces concentrated brine waste. It is most practical where conventional freshwater sources are scarce and reliable energy is available.  

4. Expand Underground Water Storage

Managed aquifer recharge creates underground water reserves by allowing water to soak into suitable land or directly injecting treated water into aquifers during wet periods.

• Strategic Timing: Widely used across Arizona, California, and Texas, this strategy requires proactive management—replenishing groundwater reserves before the next severe drought hits.  

5. Apply Cloud Seeding as a Supplemental Tool

Cloud seeding enhances precipitation by introducing agents into existing clouds to encourage rain or snow. 

Realistic Expectations: A U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) review found precipitation increases ranging from 0% to 20%, depending on atmospheric conditions. Because it cannot create rain from clear skies, cloud seeding serves primarily as a supplemental tool for building mountain snowpack. 

6. Reduce Urban and Household Water Demand

Urban water efficiency in commercial facilities and residential properties is just as critical as agricultural conservation.

• Drought-Tolerant Landscaping: Outdoor watering accounts for a massive share of residential use. Xeriscaping—replacing conventional lawns with native plants, efficient drip lines, and moisture-retaining mulch—drastically cuts demand.  

• Commercial and Restroom Fixture Upgrades: High-efficiency toilets using 1.28 gallons per flush (gpf) are now the standard benchmark for interior savings. Furthermore, schools and commercial facilities achieve dramatic water reductions by installing waterless urinals, saving up to 35,000 gallons of water per fixture annually.  

7. The Bottom Line

We can do this. We have many opportunities and technologies available to us to help reduce water consumption and use water much more efficiently.

What is Happening to the Rhine River?

The Rhine River in Germany is much lower and drier today than it was five years ago. In 2021, heavy rain caused high water and near-flooding in some areas. Now, long dry periods, warmer weather, and less Alpine snowmelt have pushed parts of the river to record-low levels.  

What Has Changed

·        Water levels: In 2021, heavy rainfall raised the river and caused near-flooding in parts of the Rhine basin. Today, the river is much lower because of extended dry weather, warm springs, and reduced snowmelt from the Alps. At important shipping points such as Kaub, water levels have dropped to extremely low measurements.  

·        River flow: The amount of water moving through the river has also fallen sharply. At major measuring points, summer flow is far below normal and has reached new record lows.  

·        Exposed riverbeds: Places that were covered by water five years ago now show sandbanks, gravel bars, and dry sections of riverbed, especially near areas such as Boppard and Kaub.  

Why It Matters

·        Shipping limits: In 2021, cargo ships could usually carry normal loads. Today, many barges must carry only a small share of their usual cargo—or stop operating—because the water is too shallow.  

·        Business impact: Low water makes it harder and more expensive to move goods. This affects industries along the Rhine, including chemical, steel, and energy companies, and can force shipments onto rail or road instead.

Cloud Seeding: Can It Really Ease the West's Water Crisis?

Image found on Prexels

As drought grips the American West year after year, snowpacks continue to thin, and water agencies face mounting supply pressure, a once-fringe technology is getting a serious second look: cloud seeding.

What used to sound like science fiction is now a genuine line item in many water managers' toolkits. But how much can it actually deliver?

What Cloud Seeding Actually Does

Cloud seeding isn't magic — it can't summon rain from a clear sky. It works only with clouds that are already there, giving them a nudge to produce more precipitation than they would on their own.

Here's the basic process:

• Delivery: Planes or ground-based generators release fine particles — typically silver iodide — into promising clouds.

• Why it works: Those particles act as seeds for ice crystals, which then grow heavy enough to fall as rain or snow.

• Where the tech stands today: The practice dates back to the 1940s in the U.S., but it's now guided by radar tracking, atmospheric models, and live sensor data to zero in on the clouds most likely to respond.

Just How Effective Is It?

According to a review by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), seeding can boost precipitation somewhere in the range of 0% to 20% — a wide window that depends heavily on the conditions in play.

Two things make the technology hard to evaluate:

1.    No clouds, no seeding. The right temperature, moisture, and wind conditions have to already exist — this only amplifies storms, it doesn't create them.

2.    Hard to isolate the effect. Telling the difference between precipitation caused by seeding and precipitation that would have fallen anyway is genuinely difficult, which is why the GAO says solid long-term data is still thin.

Who's Using It, What It Costs, and Is It Safe

Weather modification is gaining traction, but not without pushback:

• State-by-state split: Nine or more Western states currently fund seeding programs, while others have moved to limit or ban the practice outright.

• Safety picture: GAO findings suggest current silver iodide levels aren't a meaningful risk to people or ecosystems — though what happens if these programs scale up significantly hasn't been well studied.

Cloud Seeding Isn't a Substitute for Water Efficiency

Seeding won't solve drought or climate change on its own — it's a supplement, not a cure, and its role is limited to boosting snowpack when conditions allow.

Water efficiency works differently: it permanently lowers demand, through measures like waterless urinals or water-conserving HVAC systems, rather than trying to increase supply.

Bottom Line

Cloud seeding can help storms produce a bit more moisture than they would naturally, but it's no replacement for the fundamentals — protecting groundwater, maintaining reservoirs, repairing aging infrastructure, and improving agricultural water use. The West's water future depends on pairing supply-side tools like cloud seeding with real demand-side conservation.

What's Happening to the Colorado River?

The Colorado River carries about 20% less water today than it did 20 years ago.

📉 How much drier is the Colorado River now?

The most authoritative long‑term analyses show:

• River flow has declined ~20% since 2000, a reduction driven by persistent aridification, hotter temperatures, and reduced snowpack.

• Average annual flows before 2000 were already lower than early‑20th‑century assumptions, but since 2000 they have dropped further to ~12.4 million acre‑feet, compared with historical averages of ~14.6 MAF.

• This decline is not a temporary drought—it reflects a multi‑decade structural drying of the basin.

🔥 Why the river is so much drier

Scientific studies attribute a large share of the decline to warming temperatures, not just reduced precipitation:

• A 1.5°C temperature increase over the past two decades caused an estimated 10.3% reduction in runoff, equivalent to losing the entire volume of Lake Mead.

Hotter air pulls more moisture from soils and vegetation, meaning less snowmelt reaches the river.

🏞 Reservoirs show the impact

Lake Mead and Lake Powell—once nearly full—are now at historic lows, together holding less water than at any time since 1957. This reflects the cumulative effect of two decades of reduced inflow.

📌 Bottom line

The Colorado River is roughly one‑fifth drier today than it was 20 years ago, and the drying trend is driven primarily by long‑term warming and aridification rather than short‑term weather cycles.

Optimizing Cruise Ship Water Efficiency: Strategies for Onboard Water Efficiency

Image by Jefrey Surianto, found on Prexels

Managing freshwater supplies is one of the most resource-intensive challenges in the maritime industry. A modern mega-cruise vessel can consume upwards of 250,000 gallons of fresh water daily to service passenger suites, crew quarters, dining operations, laundry facilities, and sanitation systems—exceeding one million gallons over a standard seven-day itinerary.

Unlike land-based facilities tied to municipal grids, ships must generate, process, and manage their water supply while underway. Minimizing onboard water demand directly enhances operational efficiency, as transporting excess water adds substantial weight to the hull, driving up fuel costs and vessel emissions.

Restroom Plumbing: High-Impact Upgrades for Marine Vessels

Restroom fixtures represent one of the most effective areas for immediate freshwater savings. Facility management data reveals that nearly 90% of industry professionals anticipate global water scarcity to worsen, with 72% emphasizing the necessity of water-efficient fixtures. Marine operators can adopt these proven land-based strategies to optimize high-traffic shipboard restrooms:

• High-Efficiency Toilets: Transitioning from older models to modern 1.28-gallon-per-flush (GPF) options drastically decreases freshwater consumption per cycle while maintaining familiar operation for passengers and crew.

• Flow-Restricted Faucets & Showers: Aerators and sensor-activated faucets limit unneeded flow in public facilities, spa zones, and crew quarters, stopping water waste the moment a user steps away.

• Advanced & Waterless Urinals: Traditional urinals consume tens of thousands of gallons annually. Low-flow options minimize volume, while waterless urinals eliminate flush water entirely reducing both freshwater production requirements and wastewater volume.  

Implementing modern, low-flow plumbing infrastructure allows cruise lines to lower operating expenditures, streamline ship weight, and meet stringent marine environmental standards without compromising the passenger experience.

-Klaus

Flushing Money Down the Drain? Why Waterless Urinals Offer More Than Just Water Savings

Kansas State University Building

When facility managers evaluate upgrading their restrooms, water conservation usually takes center stage. But while saving water is great for the planet, saving money is great for the budget. As it turns out, waterless urinals are one of those rare upgrades where environmental duty meets bottom-line reality—no flushing required.  

A landmark study by the Department of Civil Engineering at Kansas State University pulled back the curtain on campus water usage. The findings show that traditional plumbing fixtures consume far more than just water  - they consume operational dollars.

The Kansas State Study: Benchmarking Commercial Water Use

The utility audit examined water consumption across various plumbing fixtures—including faucets, showers, toilets, and urinals—on a Kansas college campus.  

Here is what the research revealed about urinal water consumption:

• Modern Fixtures (0.5 to 1.5 GPF): The campus urinals consumed between 0.5 and 1.5 gallons per flush (GPF), indicating modern, well-maintained units.

• Older & Worn Fixtures (3+ GPF): Older urinals can gulp up to 3.0 GPF. Even 1.0 GPF models often drift into higher water usage as internal components wear down over time.

The Research Goal: The study aimed to create a repeatable framework for state agencies and public facilities to establish water baselines, conduct energy/utility audits, and implement long-term monitoring.

Crunching the Numbers: The Annual Cost per Fixture

To account for seasonal demand shifts—like warmer weather driving up shower and restroom usage—data was collected at multiple points throughout the year.

Estimated Annual Water Cost per Urinal

Standard Urinal

1.5 GPF

$32.40

Campus Average

~1.0 GPF

$21.60

While the study did not count every fixture, a conservative estimate based on student population and standard building ratios suggested the campus had at least 100 urinals in active service.  

At an average annual cost of $21.60 per unit, that adds up to a baseline of more than $2,160 per year just to flush urinals.

Why These Numbers Matter More Today

While the physics of flushing haven't changed, utility bill economics certainly have.  

Since the Kansas State study was conducted, municipal water and wastewater rates have surged nationwide. If you recalculated those exact same water volumes using today’s utility rates, that $2,160 figure would be considerably higher. In short: flushing traditional urinals is getting more expensive by the year.

The Bigger Picture: Long-Term ROI for High-Traffic Facilities

Evaluating waterless urinals purely as an eco-friendly feature misses half the equation. The financial business case is equally compelling:

• Direct Utility Savings: Eliminating water purchases and wastewater charges for urinal flushes.  

• Hedge Against Inflation: Locking in protection against rising municipal utility rates.  

• Rapid Payback Period: The money saved on water and sewer charges offsets initial equipment costs quickly, yielding ongoing net savings year after year.  

For high-traffic environments—such as universities, airports, sports stadiums, healthcare centers, and commercial office complexes—the cumulative financial return across hundreds of fixtures becomes substantial.

Ready to Stop Flushing Your Operating Budget?

Every facility is unique. Actual cost savings depend on local sewer and water rates, daily traffic, and maintenance routines, but the potential is clear.

Want to estimate the ROI for your facility?

 Contact a Waterless Co., Inc. representative today to learn how going waterless can streamline your operations and bolster your bottom line

Discover the Meaning of Icons

Image by Maksim Goncharenok found on Prexels

At 35 years old, Waterless Co., Inc. has learned a thing or two.

No, we didn't build the next smartphone. 😊

But we did help prove that something as ordinary as a restroom fixture could save millions of gallons of water and make facilities more sustainable.

Along the way, people have called us an icon in our industry. That's flattering—but if we've earned that reputation, it certainly didn't happen overnight.

Here's what got us here:

💧 A clear vision. We believed water would become one of the world's most valuable resources long before it became today's headline.

💧 Resilience. There were plenty of skeptics over the years. We kept going anyway.

💧 Innovation. We never stopped asking, "How can we do this better?"

💧 Leadership. Not about having all the answers, but about asking the right questions and encouraging others to do the same.

💧 People. This is the big one. Great products matter, but great people build great companies. I'm incredibly grateful for our team, our customers, and our partners who have been part of this journey.

Thirty-three years later, we're still learning, still improving, and still passionate about helping facilities save water and reduce operating costs.

Here's to the next chapter.

– Klaus

Klaus Reichardt is CEO & Founder of Waterless Co., Inc., a company dedicated to helping facilities reduce water consumption, improve sustainability, and lower operating costs.

Can a simple smiley face save millions of gallons of water? 💧👀

Graphic from Pixabay

When it comes to driving sustainability in commercial facilities, traditional wisdom says: appeal to self-interest. We tell occupants to "turn off the tap to lower utility bills."  

Research from Harvard Business School tells a different story.

According to Dr. Jillian J. Jordan, prosocial messaging—appealing to the public good and community stewardship—is often far more effective than personal cost incentives. Human beings are inherently social actors; we want to contribute to the greater good.  

So, how can Facility Managers use this behavioral science to nudge occupants toward water efficiency?

Look at a real-world example from Belén, Costa Rica:

Local leaders tested a simple normative behavioral nudge on water bills.

🔴 High-consumption households: Received a red sticker with a frowning face.

🟢 Low-consumption households: Received a green sticker with a smiling face.

The Result: The red-sticker group dropped their water consumption by 2% almost overnight. Across a municipality, that equals millions of gallons saved at virtually zero capital cost.

3 Ways to Apply "Prosocial Nudges" in Commercial Facilities:

1️⃣ Comparative Benchmarking: Display dynamic digital signage celebrating floors, suites, or departments that reduced their water footprint compared to neighbors.

2️⃣ Constructive Normative Feedback: Use subtle visual dashboards highlighting areas above average consumption to gently encourage alignment.

3️⃣ Frame Around Collective Impact: Shift messaging from "Save water to cut costs" to "Help our building community save 10,000 gallons this month."  

Hardware upgrades—like smart metering, low-flow plumbing, and waterless restroom fixtures—are vital. But technology is only half the equation.  

When you combine smart hardware with behavioral science, passive building users become active partners in long-term environmental stewardship.  

💬 Facility leaders: Have you tried using social nudges or benchmarking in your properties? What strategies have worked best for your teams?  

About the Author:

Klaus Reichardt is the CEO and founder of Waterless Co., Inc., pioneering water-efficient plumbing technologies and commercial conservation solutions since 1991.

30-Restroom Office Renovation: Key Lessons for Facility Managers

Office restrooms are under new scrutiny as employees return to the workplace and building owners look for ways to improve hygiene, conserve water, and reduce maintenance costs.

For one large office building preparing to renovate 30 restrooms, the project quickly became more than a cosmetic upgrade. It became an opportunity to improve day-to-day operations throughout the entire facility.

To help guide the project, the facility manager consulted Klaus Reichardt, CEO and Founder of Waterless Co., Inc., a marketer of waterless urinals and other restroom products.

"Large restroom renovations are not just about new fixtures," says Reichardt. "Each decision affects water use, maintenance, user satisfaction, and how easily the restrooms can be serviced for years to come."

His recommendations include:

Standardization. Using the same commercial-grade toilets, faucets, urinals, dispensers, and accessories wherever possible simplifies purchasing, reduces spare-parts inventory, and helps maintenance teams work more efficiently.

Durability. "A fixture may cost less upfront, but if replacement parts are difficult to obtain, those savings can disappear quickly," he says.

Water efficiency. Today's toilets and urinals use a fraction of the water they did just a generation ago. "But for maximum water savings, waterless urinals remain the most effective option because they eliminate flush water altogether," Reichardt says.

Touch-free technology. Sensor-operated faucets, soap dispensers, and flush valves can improve hygiene while helping control water use. However, reliability is essential. Reichardt recommends specifying sensor-operated systems with manual overrides, so a failed battery or sensor does not render a restroom unusable.

Finishes. Performance—not appearance alone—should drive material selection. Chrome-plated plumbing trim, stainless-steel accessories, and solid laminate partitions typically provide superior resistance to moisture, graffiti, and harsh cleaning chemicals.

Accessibility. Ensure that fixture clearances, grab-bar placement, fixture heights, reach ranges, and door swings comply with accessibility requirements before products are ordered and installation begins.

Maintenance access. Fixtures should be installed to provide easy access to shutoff valves, adequate floor drainage, and protection of trap seals. In low-use restrooms, non-evaporating trap seal primers can help prevent floor-drain odors.

Reichardt's final recommendation may be the most valuable: build one full-scale restroom mock-up before ordering fixtures for all 30 locations. Testing faucet splash, sensor performance, accessibility, dispenser placement, and cleaning access in a single restroom can prevent costly mistakes from being repeated throughout the building.

 ###

About Waterless Co., Inc.

Founded in 1991 and headquartered in Vista, California, Waterless Co., Inc. manufactures waterless urinals and restroom products that help facilities reduce water consumption, lower operating costs, and simplify maintenance. Its products are installed in commercial, institutional, educational, and government facilities worldwide. www.waterless.com

Why Park and Rec Facilities Can't Afford to Ignore Restroom Renovation

Public restrooms have become a flashpoint for scrutiny at parks and recreation facilities, a trend that only intensified after COVID-19. And nobody notices a grimy restroom faster than parents, who make up a significant chunk of the people walking through park gates.

The trouble is that renovation projects tend to get shelved indefinitely, since a true overhaul isn't cheap — tearing out flooring, walls, fixtures, and lighting, then rebuilding, often while also meeting ADA requirements that can force an architect to rethink the entire layout.

Even so, few investments pay off the way a restroom renovation does. Beyond the obvious — happier staff and a better first impression for visitors — modern, water-efficient fixtures are simpler to maintain and trim both water and electricity bills, a meaningful win for facilities funded by taxpayers.

Fewer complaints and more compliments tend to follow. One mother in Maryland summed it up well: restroom conditions are often the deciding factor in which park she picks for her kids.

Affordable Ways to Upgrade Park Restrooms

Automatic sanitizing systems — These release disinfectant with every toilet or urinal flush, keeping odors down and reducing how often staff need to clean high-traffic restrooms. Interest in this technology has climbed sharply since the pandemic.

Touch-free toilet-seat cleaning — A hand wave triggers automatic disinfecting and drying, eliminating contact entirely. This is a natural fit for restrooms that see constant use throughout the day.

Touch-free fixtures and dispensers — Hands-free soap and paper towel dispensers limit cross-contamination and can be set to dispense controlled amounts, which cuts down on supply waste and cost over time.

Waterless urinals — More parks and rec departments are switching to no-water urinal systems because they're odor-free, hygienic, and less costly to install — there's no flush valve or extra plumbing required. The water savings alone can make a noticeable dent in a facility's budget.

Plastic partitions — Compared to metal, plastic partitions are lighter, simpler to wipe down, and hold up better against graffiti and vandalism, both persistent headaches in public park restrooms.

Seamless epoxy flooring — Swapping out tile and grout for epoxy solves the sanitation problems that come with grout lines, while also improving waterproofing, drainage, and long-term durability in busy restrooms.

Looking Ahead: Water Efficiency and Code Compliance

With water rates only trending upward, installing efficient fixtures now sets park districts and municipalities up for long-term savings. It's also worth looping in architects and contractors who track upcoming building code changes — getting ahead of future requirements now avoids expensive retrofits down the line. For any facility weighing the upfront investment, a well-planned restroom upgrade remains a financially sound, sustainable choice.

Klaus Reichardt is CEO and founder of Waterless Co., Inc., based in Vista, Calif. He started the company in 1991 to bring water-efficient solutions to the plumbing fixture industry and regularly writes and speaks on water conservation. He can be reached at klaus@waterless.com.