Headline: This changes everything
Subhed: Climate crisis puts water utilities in unique position of having to plan for an uncertain future
By Lynn Williams
History has a way of repeating itself, but when it comes to climate change it seems all bets are off.
Traditionally, water resource planning has been reliant on historical record, but an increase in extreme
weather events – ranging from mega droughts like the one California has been in for four years to
heavy rain events like the recent flooding in South Carolina – means utilities are facing greater risks to
utility infrastructure. We must plan for a range of possible impacts given the possibility of multiple
future conditions and greater uncertainty.
In cooperation with the Water Research Foundation (WRF), Brown and Caldwell is performing a
comprehensive study to look at how climate change is impacting water infrastructure to help the
industry prepare for the unknown by using climate modeling and hydrologic modeling to come up with a
range of scenarious that are plausible. Instead of doing what we did historically and planning around
one increase in population or one land use, we are looking at multiple demand scenarios, future land
uses and a range of predicted temperature and precipitation changes.
In central Ohio, a region that has recently experienced record-breaking heat, unprecedented flooding,
and prolongued periods of drought, a study assessed climate change impacts on an entire watershed.
The result was Sustaining Scioto. Initially, the study was only focused on water supply, but we were able
to expand the scope by leveraging funds from the WRF to look at water quality impacts.
Do you recall the toxic algal bloom that contaminated Toledo, Ohio’s drinking water? Algal toxins in the
water supply and increased nutrient runoff concerns were keeping utility leaders from the City of
Columbus and Del-Co Del-Co Water Company Inc. up at night. To ease some of their fears, we developed
short-, mid- and long-term adaptive management strategies to help the watershed prepare for
predicted changes from climatic and hydrologic modeling.
https://www.morpc.org/Assets/MORPC/files/forms/1.Final%20Adaptive%20Mgmt%20Plan.pdf
This work was recently showcased in the global publication Cities100, which highlights the world’s
greatest cities taking action on climate change. The City of Columbus is featured in the Adaptation
Planning and Assessment section.
"We take climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies very seriously in the City of Columbus,”
said Mayor Michael B. Coleman, "and are honored to be highlighted amongst climate change leaders
from around the globe.”
"The risks to the region’s water resources due to climate change point to the need for Central Ohio's
water utilities and communities to collaborate," says William Murdock, MORPC Executive Director.
"While advocating for policies and funding to maintain and protect the quality and quantity of our water
resources, MORPC will continue to work with local governments in finding effective ways to implement
the recommended adaptation strategies in the Sustaining Scioto study."
In the Hawaiian islands, the challenges of course are very different from the Midwest, but the approach
to identify vulnerabilities, prioritize risks, and develop adaptive management strategies is the same. We
are beginning a new project with WRF and the Honolulu Board of Water Supply to develop a climate
change adaptive management plan focused on the utility’s assets.
LINKS
International Water & Climate Forum 2015
Dec. 7-9 in San Diego
http://www.waterclimateforum.org/
Visionary Thinkers to Gather at International Water & Climate Forum
http://www.waterclimateforum.org/visionary-thinkers-to-gather-at-international-water-climate-forum/
10 Minutes With Rob Renner (speaker at conference)
http://www.bcwaternews.com/bcwn/QA/renner/renner.html
Sustaining Scioto
http://www.morpc.org/Sustainability/greenways-water-quality/sustaining-scioto/index
10 Minutes With William Murdock
http://www.bcwaternews.com/bcwn/QA/murdock/qa_murdock.html
Toxic algae back in Lake Erie; menace may top 2011
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/07/29/lake-erie-menace-back-may-top2011.html
EPA Awards Water Research Foundation $1 Million Grant to Create Water Quality Strategies for
Utilities in Drought-stricken Communities
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151118006146/en/EPA-Awards-Water-ResearchFoundation-1-Million
Climate Ready Water Utilities (CRWU)
http://www2.epa.gov/crwu/about-climate-ready-water-utilities-crwu
VIDEO
https://vimeo.com/76533548