[vinceguidry]

Water transport is comparatively cheap. Urban areas throughout American history have been able to reliably source enough water for their needs. It gets difficult in deserts, but the US was blessed with many, many rivers and abundant rainfall, it's a crucial reason why we rose to prominence in the first place.

There are a few interesting studies in this area, California's agricultural section's tug-of-war with its residents for water is the biggest one that comes to mind, and the lesson you get is that industry uses up the lion's share of the water out of greed and sloth, but enough pressure will force them to curtail usage.