ncy of surface water storage will decrease and the marginal cost of development will continue to increase. As yet there has been no widespread use of artificial storage recharge (ASR) due to a variety of constraints; these are mainly related to concerns about pollution, although a large-scale groundwater recharge scheme using sewage effluent is under development in Perth, Australia. However, with new biotechnologies that can begin addressing concerns over pollution and water quality, ASR offers a means of at least partially controlling pollution and SO INFRASTRUCTURE TO 2030: TELECOM, LAND TRANSPORT, WATER AND ELECTRICITY - ISBN 92-64-02398-4 © OECD 2006 5. THE IMPACTS OF CHANGE ON THE LONG-TERM FUTURE DEMAND FOR WATER SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE better minimising losses. Resource development might well continue to be a preferred solution in many instances, especially in the developing countries. In high-income countries, maintaining and even increasing the amenity value of water and the environment that it supports is becoming increasingly important. This will not only mean greater competition between different, competing uses but also could change the essential character of "artificial" water bodies. For example, there are many examples of storage reservoirs in the planning phase meeting with vociferous resistance from environmentalists and subsequently being designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest. This shift from "water mines" to ecological and recreational resources then leads to restrictions on use and constraints on their management for the original purposes. Other options such as desalination could become cost-effective for some countries that have the economic and energy resources to support them, but as a solution they would currently be deployed only in limited circumstances unless new technologies emerge. The alternative response is to use existing resources more effectively through the application of demand management and recycling/recovery of water, to increase the intensity of its use. This is