Comments on the Draft Climate Assessment Report
Submitted by: National Ground Water Association
Chapter 3 – Water Resources:

Page 114, line 9, Groundwater Availability: As general background, see Ground Water and
Climate Change by Richard G. Taylor et al which appeared recently in Nature Climate
Change. The paper provides an extensively referenced article on the influence of climate
change on groundwater systems and groundwater impacts on the climate system, including
a discussion of groundwater’s role in adapting to climate change and future water supply
challenges.

Page 114, line 17: After (Hanson et al 2006), please consider adding:
The federal Advisory Committee on Water Information’s Subcommittee on Ground
Water developed a framework for a national groundwater monitoring network, as
authorized by the SECURE Water Act, (Public Law 111-11). Among other objectives, the
network is designed to provide data to determine: What are the effects of climate
variability on groundwater levels across the country?
See Final Framework Report at http://acwi.gov/sogw/

Page 115, line 2: After the “drought.”, please consider adding:
Managed aquifer recharge provides a method to replenish groundwater supplies by
capturing available water (during wet periods or during periods of low demand) and
storing it in natural underground reservoirs called aquifers. Managed aquifer recharge
can be especially helpful in capturing and storing water that can be used later to fulfill
demand when availability is under stress.
See for example: Prospects for Managed Underground Storage of Recoverable Water,
National Research Council, 2008. (Also, see Aquifer Storage and Recovery Information
Brochure at http://www.ngwa.org/MediaCenter/briefs/Documents/info_brief_enhanced_gw_storage.pdf)

Page 115, line 12: For your background information and possible reference, the article
Vulnerability Indicators of Sea Water Intrusion by Adrian Werner et al that appeared in the
January-February 2012 Ground Water may be of interest. The paper proposes a
new/modified way to rapidly characterize the vulnerability of coastal aquifers. The authors
note that additional work is needed in order to develop descriptive vulnerability definitions,
e.g. high vulnerability, low vulnerability; and, in any case, they recommend that
development of quantitative indicators be combined with other methods to determine
vulnerability.

Page 126, line 28: Page 126, line 28: Please consider changing the use of the words “offsteam and in-stream” to recognize groundwater is a major water source. Note: The draft
document uses the terms off-stream and in-stream elsewhere. Each reference should be
reviewed and changed as appropriate.

Page 130, line 2: Please consider adding a sentence that also highlights the issues related to
conjunctive or integrated management of surface water and groundwater and the current
institutional arrangements.
Conjunctive management of groundwater and surface water, which can be used to
mitigate imbalances between water availability and demand that may occur more
frequently under a changing climate, also faces practical limitations within the current
water management institutional framework and prior appropriation regime.
See Hydrologic Trade-Offs in Conjunctive Use Management by John Bredehoeft, Ground
Water, July-August 2011.

Page 131: A National Ground Water Association reviewer found the “Traceable Accounts”
section not very useful as currently built. He suggested that it be considered as an
appendix. In part, the reasoning for the move is that the tabulated arguments represent
expert deliberations on the subject with little added value to the scientific debate on
uncertainty and magnitude. As another alternative, the suggestion was made to have an
entire section dedicated to addressing the skeptics and detractors to climate change.
Chapter 27 – Mitigation:

Page 962, line 32: Please insert the word “geothermal” in the parenthetical as an example
of renewables.
o

Reduction of CO2 emissions from energy supply through the promotion of
renewables (wind, solar, bioenergy, geothermal), nuclear energy, and coal and
natural gas electric generation with carbon capture and storage, and
Page 965, line 43: A recent issue paper in the Ground Water identifies potential barriers to
achieving significant CO2 reductions using carbon capture and storage. The issue paper
titled CO2 Capture and Geologic Storage: The Possibilities by Hugo A. Loáiciga is available
through Wiley On-Line Library. The National Ground Water Association has not taken a
position on the article’s conclusions, but shares the paper for the Committee’s potential
review and reference.

Page 968, line 23: Consider substituting or adding the link below to the current link to maps
from the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency. This link provides
more comprehensive information than the current selected maps.
http://www.dsireusa.org/summarymaps/index.cfm?ee=0&RE=0

Page 970, Table 27.2, under Financial Incentives for Efficiency and Alternative Fuels and
Technology: Consider adding an example of renewable energy technology eligible for the
tax credits such as:
o
Loan guarantees for innovative energy or advanced technology vehicles production
and manufacturing; investment and production tax credits for renewable energy,
such as geothermal heat pump systems.
For additional background information on geothermal heat pump systems, see the National
Ground Water Association web site.
For additional information regarding these comments, please contact:
Christine Reimer
National Ground Water Association
601 Dempsey Rd
Westerville, OH 43081
800.551.7379, ext. 560
creimer@ngwa.org
Version 3: April 11, 2013