Various human activities threaten the groundwater quality and resource under urban areas, and yet residents increasingly depend on it for their livelihood. The anticipated expansion of the world's urban population from 3 to 6 billion in the coming 50 years does not only pose a large water management threat but also provides an opportunity to conserve groundwater in a better way than up to now. The authors argue for a new way to manage urban activities in order to conserve the precious groundwater resource. The focus is on the quality of the discharged water after use in households. Restrictions on what is added to water while using it, e.g. detergents, excreta, paint residues, oils, and pharmaceuticals, are important to simplify the treatment and reuse of used water. Avoiding mixing different wastewater flows has the same positive effect. If increased volumes of wastewater can be treated and reused, the demand on the groundwater resource is reduced, as also occurs with demand management measures. Reduced discharge of polluted water to the environment from households and utilities also conserves the quality of groundwater and reduces sophisticated treatment costs. © Springer-Verlag 2004.