Water Supply Reliability

The availability or provision of water of sufficient quantity and quality to meet water needs for health and economic well-being and functioning.

Associated Indicators


Affordable Water Prices

Percent of drinking water suppliers which have instituted an affordable "lifeline" rate for low-income residential customers.

Aquifer Declines

Number and estimated capacity of basins with years-long aquifer declines (known as overdraft) or projected future declines.

Available Water (WRI)

This metric describes the total water available from natural and managed flows and comes from the World Resources Institute (WRI). It is calculated as all water flowing into the catchment from upstream catchments plus any imports of water to the catchment minus upstream consumptive use, plus runoff in the catchment.

Baseline Water Stress (WRI)

Baseline water stress measures total annual water withdrawals (municipal, industrial, and agricultural) expressed as a percent of the total annual available flow. Higher values indicate more competition among users. This indicator was used by the World Resources Institute in the Aqueduct 2.0 project.

Delta: Water Usage

Amount of Delta water used by sector (urban, agriculture, municipal, industrial) per season and per year

Drought Resilience

The maximum severity of drought during which core water demands can still be met, including social and environmental minimum requirements