Depends on where you live - in North of England and parts of Scotland the water is so plentiful you don't even get a water meter in your home, you only pay a flat delivery charge each year, but are otherwise free to use as much as you like. In which case, I'm happy to use a program that uses loads of water, but obviously in other locations(Cape Town) the amount used should be restricted. There is no one-size-fits-all solution.
> Cape Town will likely be out of water by July 15.
The rainy season is starting, and Cape Town is unlikely to run out of water this year. It was touch-and-go until a few months ago, though, and there's still a risk for next year.
I’m not sure your point. That doesn’t really help you unless you’re near the water. On a local level, especially across a single year, water levels are finite and exhaustible.
Arguably it ends up being a matter of energy use in either case, either to desalinize it or to carry it from afar. That's usually very expensive, though.