As the Earth’s population grows and approaches a projected 9.7 billion by 2050, the world’s freshwaters will face mounting pressure to supply the needs of population growth. Approximately 33% of people do not have access to safe drinking water, and a similar number do not have access to proper sanitation—numbers that will increase as populations grow.

In addition, climate change is predicted to increase the severity of floods and droughts, which in some places will limit water availability and reduce water quality. In some Canadian watersheds, like the South Saskatchewan River Basin in southern Alberta, licenses for new water withdrawals—for municipal, agricultural, industrial, or other uses—have reached their limit. To continue to sustain or grow populations—and economies—more is going to have to be done with the same amount of water, or even less.

But water can be reused. It can be repurposed, following treatment, for drinking water and non-drinking water, such as car washes, and can be part of the solution to help communities build water resilience in the face of growth and climate change.

It can also be transformed into beer.