Cape Town 'Day Zero' (2017-2018)
Cape Town came within weeks of turning off municipal taps after a three-year drought dried its reservoirs. The city imposed strict caps of about 50 liters per person per day on residents.
The shutdown never happened; rationing cut the city's water use roughly in half.
The crisis became the global cautionary tale of a modern city nearly running dry, prompting permanent desalination and reuse projects.
Cape Town's limits were crisis-enforced; Salt Lake City is imposing its cap preemptively, while it still controls the pace and scope.
