EPA s Climate Ready Water Utility Program John Whitler, USEPA

Transcription

1 EPA s Climate Ready Water Utility Program John Whitler, USEPA 2010 GWPC Annual Forum

2 Presentation Overview Background Climate Ready Water Utilities (CRWU) Working Group Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool (CREAT) CRWU Toolbox Tabletop Exercise Tool for Water Systems 2

3 CRWU - Background U.S. EPA's Climate Ready Water Utilities (CRWU) provides support for the Water Sector to develop and implement long-range plans that account for climate change impacts. Support includes: Collaboration and information exchange with Regions and Sector Tools for building awareness and planning responses Outreach through education and training 3

4 CRWU - Background For most utilities, there is not an option to wait and see or take no action. Extreme weather events Sea level rise Shifting precipitation and runoff patterns Temperature changes Changes in water quality and availability Climate change impacts pose challenges to drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities ability to fulfill their public health and environmental missions. All of these impacts contribute to a complex puzzle of climate change challenges that have potentially significant implications for sustainability of the Water Sector. 4

5 Climate Ready Water Utilities Working Group

6 Climate Ready Water Utilities (CRWU) Working Group In May 2009, the National Drinking Water Advisory Council (NDWAC) voted on and approved the formation of a working group to evaluate Climate Ready Water Utilities to: Enable water utilities to develop and implement long-range plans that account for climate change impacts Enhance the sector s ability to articulate adaptation and mitigation related investments to decision makers 6

7 CRWU Working Group Charge The working group s charge includes: 1. Developing attributes of climate ready water utilities; 2. Identifying climate change-related tools, training and products to address utilities shortand long-term needs; and 3. Identifying mechanisms that would facilitate the adoption of climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies by the water sector. 7

8 Working Group Members 20 Members of CRWU Working Group 12 from water utilities 3 from state and local governments 5 from academic, environmental, and other organizations Federal Partners U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Federal Emergency Management Agency 8

9 Current Status Completed 5 of 5 in-person meetings Drafted: Key Finding Statements Adaptive Response Framework Enabling Environment Recommendations Recent meetings have focused on: Tools and resources needed by utilities Incentives to facilitate the adoption of climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies Program implementation 9

10 Next Steps CRWU Working Group will provide final report and recommendations to NDWAC in Fall 2010 NDWAC will provide its recommendations to EPA Contact: Lauren Wisniewski, 10

11 Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool (CREAT)

12 CREAT Overview EPA is developing the PC-based Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool (CREAT) to assist drinking water and wastewater utility owners and operators: Assess the climate-related risks at their individual utilities Evaluate adaptation options to reduce risk Conduct assessments as part of long-term planning and decision making processes Complement existing tools used to make projections or assessments regarding utility management (i.e., models of hydrology, urbanization, and demand) CREAT is being designed to evolve over time as new information and research results become available to enhance Water Sector utility climate change preparedness programs and resiliency capabilities. CREAT will accommodate a range of uncertainty in climate information and provide assessments that can be used in both traditional risk-based and scenario-based decision making strategies. 12

13 CREAT Process Inventory utility and climate change concerns Evaluate risks and inform adaptation planning Setup Baseline Analysis Assets Resilience Analysis Threats (w/ climate information) Adaptive Measures Implementation Planning Results and Reports 13

14 CREAT Process Projected climate change in U.S. regions would be translated into potential climate-related threats that utilities are familiar with and have a preliminary set of adaptations that could be applied to reduce risk. National and regional climate change descriptions Climate-related threat descriptions Preliminary adaptation libraries 14

15 CREAT Inventory Utility Setup Utility and assessor information Scenario Planning selection Scenario-based all threats considered as occurring in defined time periods Assess Likelihood all threats are assessed with respect to the likelihood of occurrence in the defined time periods Time Periods for considering threats and planning adaptation options Assets Inventory built using provided library Library includes natural resources (e.g., watersheds, receiving water) that may not be owned by utility 15

16 CREAT Inventory Climate Threats Inventory built using provided library Each threat is linked to time periods and assets for assessment of consequences Threats can be customized with respect to time period, magnitude, and location Climate Information Regional assessments provided based on most recent Global Change Research Program assessment (2009) The same information organized with respect to threat types (library) as well Ranges of projected temperature and precipitation for U.S. locations provided as starting point for gauging threat magnitudes 16

17 CREAT Evaluate Risk Adaptive Measures Inventory built using provided library, with each measure defined with respect to status Existing used in Baseline as measures already available for protecting assets from threat Potential used in Resilience Analysis as measures being planned or considered for future use Baseline Analysis Assessment of consequences to assets from threats on selected time periods using existing adaptive measures Resilience Analysis Re-assessment of consequences after the addition of potential adaptive measures 17

18 CREAT Evaluate Adaptation Implementation Planning Develop adaptation packages of potential adaptive measures used in assessments Each package has a computed benefit based on consequence reduction from Baseline to Resilience Benefits, compared to costs, can be reviewed across time periods and between packages Results and Reports Risk profiles for Baseline and Resilience reviewed with respect to time periods and selected adaptation package Narrative and data reports available Planning report also available that details the costs and benefits of adaptation packages across time periods 18

19 CREAT Benefits CREAT built as a flexible and systematic assessment process Interface is user-friendly with familiar format for self-guided tools Information on U.S. regional climate projections and related threats are provided in CREAT Uncertainty in climate projections, water resource allocation, and future budgets accommodated Both qualitative and quantitative information regarding threats, consequences, and costs used in assessments Reports can be integrated into adaptation decision making and planning processes 19

20 CREAT Status Framework approved by Stakeholder Workgroup Software development underway Pilots completed in 2010 Software release anticipated in Fall 2010 Potential for demonstrations and training after release A second version will be created based on feedback from the first version Contact: Curt Baranowski, Baranowski.Curt@epa.gov 20

21 CRWU Toolbox

22 CRWU Toolbox EPA CRWU Toolbox provides a search interface for utilities to obtain climate-related resources based on: - Utility Type - Water Resource Type - Utility Size - Climate Impact - Region - Response Strategy Toolbox provides links to approximately 500 freely available on-line resources and will be updated periodically Toolbox will be available on EPA s website in summer/fall

23 CRWU Toolbox: Search Interface Resources: Current Activities Funding Opportunities Publications Tools & Models Workshops & Seminars 23

24 CRWU Toolbox: Results 24

25 Other Activities

26 Tabletop Exercise Tool for Water Systems: Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Climate Resiliency A CD-ROM-based tool to encourage drinking water and wastewater utility personnel to prepare and conduct incident response training through tabletop exercises. The materials use a scenario-based, discussion format to focus on exercise objectives and encourage coordination Includes scenarios on: Extreme Flooding Extreme Drought Sea Level Rise Intense Fire in Protected Catchment Impact of Freeze Thaw Shift on Main Breaks Released June

27 Free WaterISAC Pro Subscription An online community of water security professionals WaterISAC Water Information Sharing Analysis Center (WaterISAC) is a secure, web-based clearinghouse that helps drinking water and wastewater utilities prepare for emergencies. Benefits of WaterISAC The latest, sensitive information about critical infrastructure protection A network of colleagues with shared challenges Intelligence analysts who help interpret and evaluate threats Alerts about emerging risks Direct access to contaminant databases Monthly webcasts on current water security topics How to Subscribe: To receive a 12-month WaterISAC Pro Subscription for free, visit the WaterISAC website No payment information or future commitment is required

28 CRWU - Summary EPA's Climate Ready Water Utilities program provides resources for the Water Sector to develop and implement long-range plans that account for climate change impacts. Resources and support include tools, outreach, and training to build both increased awareness of potential climate change impacts and climate resilience in the Water Sector. 28

29 Contact Information John Whitler