The lack of water is a growing concern in South African cities and in the near future, alternative sources of water will be necessary to satisfy demand. The additional sources of water that could be considered would include trans catchment transfers, modification of existing assets (increasing the height of dam walls, reallocation or purchase of existing water rights or aggressive water conservation / water demand In public fora concerning water resources and reclamation it is frequently stated that desalination is the prefered choice above the construction of another dam or wastewater reclamation. By determining the LCA of desalination processes more information becomes available which will guide more informed decision making.

Currently, the eThekwini Municipality is in different stages of planning to obtain potable water from the recycling of wastewater as well as from desalination. Another alternative source of water particularly in Gauteng is the reclamation of mine water. This study will investigate the environmental impacts of these 3 technologies by employing a life cycle assessment approach. Such a study is useful and necessary in order to effectively summarise and provide information regarding focus areas with the highest environmental burdens of these technologies in order to improve them environmentally and to assist in the future design of such water treatment plants in the country. Previous studies have shown that LCA has the potential to deliver improvements to local water systems (Friedrich and co-workers, 2001).

However, such a study has only been employed for conventional technologies. Water demand is increasing in all municipalities in South Africa and such technologies which are currently relatively rare will become mainstream in the future (Friedrich and co-workers, 2001). Therefore, it is imperative to shape this design process by considering local environmental factors from the outset so as to reach the best outcome that can be effectively utilised as a model for future projects of this nature. As water is an essential ingredient and used for virtually any product manufactured in the country, the environmental burdens associated with the generation of potable water are a key component in a national LCA database. Such database is planned under the umbrella of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and the National Cleaner Production Centre of South Africa. In the absence of South African information, importers of South African goods might use any international data available. Potentially, this has the tendency to reflect negatively on these goods which might in turn lead to environmental scepticism towards South African exports.

The study revolves around conducting a series of LCAs on various proposed water treatment plants using alternative water sources (sea water and wastewater). Such a study will aim to compare the overall environmental burden associated with various water treatment technologies. In order to achieve this objective, design and operational data are required to analyse processes in the production of both potable and industrial water.