It feels like any form of recycling water would mean pumping water back uphill, which is energy-intensive, at least relative to the current model of "just pull

It feels like any form of recycling water would mean pumping water back uphill, which is energy-intensive, at least relative to the current model of "just pull water from Lake Gatú and assume it never runs out". But using less water in the first place, I'm curious what approaches might exist.