Water policy in Spain: seeking a balance between transfers, desalination and wastewater reuse

Abstract

Decision-making in water resources management is a perennial source of political debate. When a basin suffers from a structural water shortage the possible solutions are either a transfer from another basin or the use of other unconventional resources such as those obtained through desalination or water reuse. Politics and territorial interests have given rise to undesired fluctuations in Spain’s water policy, in particular with regard to transferring water from one basin to another. However, conflicts have not prevented water management in Spain from being one of the most advanced in the world, even with its unfavourable geographical context.