Impact of Drought on Water Demand  in Los Angeles, USA

Sammanfattning: Los Angeles has historically been subjected to droughts and water shortages. This has led the city to acquire distant water resources, allowing the city to grow extensively. Today, the city is dependent on large water infrastructure to supply water over distances of hundreds of kilometres. This thesis explores how water demand in Los Angeles has been impacted by drought, focusing on drought years 2007-2010 and 2012-2019. The study compares hydrological, conservation and water demand data and places it into context by connecting it to policy changes. By looking at streamflow and precipitation data it is visible that the latter drought was drier than the former. Water demand has decreased in all consumer categories. Meanwhile, conservation has increased. Drought events have led the city to apply policy changes and conservation measures which in turn, has resulted in a reduction in water demand during both droughts.