Webinar for Climate Ready Water Utilities
EPA’s Climate Ready Water Utilities (CRWU) initiative assists the water sector, which includes drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities, in addressing climate change impacts. Through the development of practical and easy-to-use tools, EPA promotes a clear understanding of climate science and adaptation options by translating complex climate projections into accessible formats. This information helps utility owners and operators better prepare their systems for the impacts of climate change. Take a look at our “Becoming Climate Ready” introductory video below on what it means to be Climate Ready.
The impacts of events such as Hurricane Sandy pose challenges to water sector utilities. Extreme weather events, sea level rise, shifting precipitation patterns and temperature variability, all intensified by climate change, have significant implications for the sustainability of the water sector. By planning for, assessing and adapting to these challenges, the water sector can fulfill their public health and environmental missions and begin the process of becoming climate ready.
To set the foundation for our climate ready efforts, EPA convened a CRWU Working Group under the National Drinking Water Advisory Council (NDWAC) in Fall 2009. The NDWAC delivered its CRWU Report (PDF) (76 pp, 1MB, About PDF) to EPA in January 2011. See the Overview of the NDWAC CRWU Working Group Report (PDF), (3 pp, 875K, About PDF) for a brief summary of findings and recommendations.
The report includes 11 findings and 12 recommendations, an Adaptive Response Framework (PDF) (14 pp, 774K, About PDF) to guide climate ready activities and the identification of needed resources and possible incentives to support and encourage utility climate readiness.
Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool
This software tool assists drinking water and wastewater utility owners and operators in understanding potential climate change impacts and in assessing the related risks at their utilities. CREAT allows users to evaluate potential impacts of climate change on their utility and to evaluate adaptive options to address these impacts using both traditional risk assessment and scenario-based decision making.
Preparing for Extreme Weather Events: Workshop Planner for the Water Sector
The Workshop Planner contains all of the materials needed to plan and conduct a customized workshop focused on planning for frequent and intense extreme events. Users are guided through the workshop planning process and can choose from five different extreme event scenarios: flooding, drought, reduced snowpack, sea level rise, and wildfires.
- Register and download the Workshop Planner
- Workshop Planner Fact Sheet (PDF) (1 pg, 753K, About PDF)
Climate Ready Water Utilities Toolbox
This searchable toolbox contains resources that support all stages of the decision process, from basic climate science through integration of mitigation and adaptation into long-term planning. The Toolbox contains: reports, articles, and other publications; information about grant programs that could support climate-related actions by utilities and municipalities; current activities; upcoming seminars, workshops, and training sessions; models and tools; and climate response materials that focus on mitigation and adaptive strategies.
Adaptation Strategies Guide
This interactive guide assists drinking water and wastewater utilities in gaining a better understanding of what climate-related impacts they may face in their region, and what adaptation strategies can be used to prepare their system for those impacts. The guide now also includes information on how utilities can incorporate sustainability (e.g, green infrastructure and energy management activities) into their adaptation planning. Examples of utilities implementing adaptation options at their systems are included throughout the guide as well as a worksheet to assist in the adaptation planning process.
