Climate Change Impacts and Potential Stormwater Responses

Transcription

1 Climate Change Impacts and Potential Stormwater Responses Barriers and Opportunities for Local-level Action AWRA Summer Specialty Conference: Climate Change Adaptation, June 15, 2015 Susan Asam, ICF International Britta Bierwagen, EPA Office of Research and Development Susan Julius, EPA Office of Research and Development Dana Spindler, ICF International Patrick Robinson, University of Wisconsin Green Bay Tashya Allen, The Baldwin Group, Inc. at NOAA Office for Coastal Management

2 Development of a Joint Report Workshop participants in Baltimore discuss the potential impacts of increased precipitationdriven flooding in the Cherry Hill neighborhood Stormwater Management in Response to Climate Change Impacts: Lessons from the Chesapeake Bay and Great Lakes Regions 2

3 Lessons from the Chesapeake Bay and Great Lakes Regions Joint report presents key takeaways emerging from similar efforts across both these regions 14 workshops, a needs assessment, and a research project took place between 2011 and 2013 Efforts cover areas that correspond with three of the National Climate Assessment (NCA) regional assessments Report will serve as an additional technical input for the NCA contributing to the NCA objective of promoting an ongoing, sustainable national assessment of global change impacts and adaptation 3

4 Joint Report Collaborators U.S. EPA Global Change Impacts and Adaptation Research Program Great Lakes Adaptation Assessment for Cities Project of the Graham Sustainability Institute at the University of Michigan ICF International Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve NOAA Office for Coastal Management Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve 4

5 Local Community Partners Chesapeake Bay Region Baltimore, Maryland Stafford County, Virginia York County, Pennsylvania Great Lakes Region Monroe and Ann Arbor, Michigan Cleveland and Toledo, Ohio Green Bay, Wisconsin Duluth, Saint Paul, and Minneapolis, Minnesota 5

6 Chesapeake Bay Workshops EPA and Chesapeake Bay Local Government Advisory Committee and Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee hosted three workshops with county / city staff and decision makers Interactive workshops used mapping exercises and presentations to explore local impacts of climate and land use change, helped participants identify concerns and come up with solutions specific to neighborhoods Participants discussed existing planning contexts, explored green infrastructure (GI) and LID solutions, and identified barriers to both consideration of climate change and to more widespread adoptions of GI / LID approaches 6

7 Great Lakes Workshops A broader set of efforts (11 workshops, a needs assessment, and a research project) were undertaken in the Great Lakes region Involved representatives from municipalities, academia, non-profit organizations Varying geographic foci (e.g., city-wide, region-wide) Varying goals, including: Improve awareness of climate change concerns Disseminate information on changing precipitation patterns Identify and discuss expected impacts of these changes Develop and share strategies to increase stormwater system resilience Collect information about the ability of planners and decision makers to address climate change in stormwater management Provide opportunities to network and collaborate across organizational and jurisdictional boundaries Assess the economic benefits of green infrastructure to reduce negative flooding impacts 7

8 Key Takeaways Across all Efforts Minnesota Sea Grant and NOAA s Office for Coastal Management engage local residents during a community open house. 8

9 Key Takeaways from All Efforts Building local capacity integration of green infrastructure (GI) into stormwater planning requires more locallevel capacity Incorporating climate change into planning difficulties in finding and applying relevant climate change information to planning efforts Identifying and communicating costs and benefits of green infrastructure economic information is limited to justify implementing GI projects where it exists, quantifying and articulating benefits to others is challenging Implementation within current governance structure existing priorities and regulatory requirements can be a barrier to voluntarily incorporating climate change into planning 9

10 Key Takeaways from All Efforts: Focus of Today s Talk Building local capacity integration of green infrastructure (GI) into stormwater planning requires more locallevel capacity Incorporating climate change into planning difficulties in finding and applying relevant climate change information to planning efforts Identifying and communicating costs and benefits of green infrastructure economic information is limited to justify implementing GI projects where it exists, quantifying and articulating benefits to others is challenging Implementation within current governance structure existing priorities and regulatory requirements can be a barrier to voluntarily incorporating climate change into planning 10

11 Incorporating Climate Change into Planning Issues (1) Challenge: Climate change data not available at desired geographic or temporal scale and may not inform on relevant endpoints for decision makers Observations from the Local Level: Stormwater managers perceive a need for better projections of local precipitation Local conditions and concerns vary concerning types of events that will most impede effective stormwater management Long-term climate projections are relevant to short-term infrastructure; making this link is necessary to affect local action Stormwater codes have been created based on historical data 11

12 Incorporating Climate Change into Planning Issues (2) Challenge: Projections of future climate change and land use change are uncertain Observations from the Local Level: Stormwater managers want to know with certainty what they are planning for and perceive uncertainty as a barrier to action Climate models are complex, producing a range of projections Different regions face similar challenges but varying sources of uncertainty Climate change will interact with other existing stressors 12

13 Incorporating Climate Change into Planning Issues (3) Challenge: Reliable and up-to-date land use data are critical to understanding how changes in precipitation-driven flooding will impact stormwater management Observations from the Local Level: Existing land-use data may be outdated or incomplete 13

14 Incorporating Climate Change into Planning Issues (4) Challenge: Communication, Coordination, and Education Observations from the Local Level: Greater interdepartmental cooperation needed at the municipal level One-off meetings can serve as a launching point for continued collaboration Adaptation training at the local level is needed to share and communicate positive examples of adaptation strategies to leverage successes 14

15 Incorporating Climate Change into Planning Near-term Solutions (1) Use existing sources to ensure decisions are based on the best available data Update storm standards to match current precipitation patterns Obtain historical climate information to aid in discussions of future changes Illustrate climate changes using approaches that resonate with local experiences (e.g., analogue events; sensitivity and threshold information) Use visual resources to show historical and future trends (e.g., land-use change maps) Start with what stormwater managers are planning for and seek agreement on a threshold change (e.g., the community will prepare for X storm) Informed by historic data Reflects risk tolerance of the community In communicating climate change information use scenarios to develop possible futures rather than a particular projection 15

16 Incorporating Climate Change into Planning Near-term Solutions (2) Improve database of land use and development information Assemble existing datasets on land use, planned development, topography, and floodplains to understand future stormwater management needs Use models to understand maximum allowable use and increases in impervious surfaces Update land use maps, focusing on areas of rapid development Develop networking opportunities for information exchange Create opportunities for staff to exchange experiences and ideas for programs Connect communities at varying stages of implementation to take advantage of available resources 16

17 Incorporating Climate Change into Planning Long-term Needs (1) Identify data and methods to improve understanding of and responding to potential climate change impacts Establish more local weather gauges and monitoring stations Pool resources with other jurisdictions interested in developing or improving climaterelevant datasets Seek partnerships that can contribute to the field of knowledge: U.S. ACE helps communities better understand hydrologic modeling FEMA helps with pre-disaster planning Partner with universities to identify solutions using local data Develop regional scenarios (complete with uncertainty bounds) Employ analytic methods/tools that enable action in the face of uncertainties 17

18 Incorporating Climate Change into Planning Long-term Needs (2) Increase educational opportunities Expand staff expertise in GIS or other data management processes Build awareness and increase knowledge via curriculum taught at educational institutions Provide on-the-job training and continuing education opportunities, to increase climate literacy and ensure timely application of research designed to address decision-maker needs 18

19 Next Steps Stormwater Management in Response to Climate Change Impacts: Lessons from the Chesapeake Bay and Great Lakes Regions (joint report) going through external review Available later this year Map from Chesapeake Bay region workshops showing participant-identified areas of concern for future flooding and critical infrastructure 19

20 For More Information Susan Asam ICF International Susan Julius EPA

21 For Discussion Can you share examples of how you have overcome barriers we identified, or other issues you have come up against related to incorporating climate change into stormwater management? What are your suggestions for finding reliable and relevant climate data? What other approaches have you used that may not require the use of downscaled climate data (e.g., using analog data)? What data have you used to help identify costs and benefits of damages and nature-based solutions (e.g., GI) in the context of a changing climate? Can you share any examples of novel approaches leveraging existing data sources? How have you addressed uncertainties in planning and decision making? Can you share any other creative approaches to implementing GI (e.g., policy changes, creative funding, ordinances)? 21

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