desalinization

Americans expect that when the tap is turned on, fresh drinking water comes out. This expectation is increasingly questionable. There is a water crisis in the U.S. The increase of severe droughts in the southwestern U.S. has led to very low levels in lakes, rivers, and groundwater across the area. Water shortages are already common and expected to worsen in the coming years. What are we to do?
You would think that with 71% of our planet covered in water, there would be enough to go around. While that is probably true, how that water is distributed is causing concern.