Climate change impacts pose challenges to drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater (water sector) utilities in fulfilling their public health and environmental missions. Extreme weather events, sea level rise, shifting precipitation and runoff patterns, temperature changes, and resulting changes in water quality and availability contribute to a complex scenario of climate change challenges that have potentially significant implications for the sustainability of the water sector.

EPA's Climate Ready Water Utilities (CRWU) initiative provides resources for the water sector to adapt to climate change by promoting a clear understanding of climate science and adaptation options and by promoting consideration of integrated water resources management (IWRM) planning in the water sector.

• For more information please see the CRWU Fact Sheet (PDF) (2 pp, 413K, About PDF)|Print-Ready Version (PDF) (2 pp, 478K, About PDF)
  

Background

Climate Ready Water Utilities Working Group

In fall 2009, EPA convened a CRWU Working Group under the National Drinking Water Advisory Council (NDWAC). The final NDWAC report was delivered to EPA Administrator, Lisa P. Jackson, on January 14, 2011. The report includes eleven findings and twelve recommendations, an adaptive response framework to guide climate ready activities, and the identification of needed resources and possible incentives to support and encourage utility climate readiness.

• Final NDWAC CRWU Report (PDF) (76 pp, 1MB, About PDF)
• Short Overview of the NDWAC CRWU Report (PDF) (3 pp, 874K, About PDF)
• CRWU NDWAC Working Group page

Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool (CREAT)

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.

• Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool web page

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.

• Access the CRWU Toolbox

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. A worksheet is provided to assist the user in the adaptation planning process. The guide also includes examples of utilities implementing adaptation options at their systems.

• Adaptation Strategies Guide for Water Utilities (PDF) (94 pp, 8MB, About PDF)
  
• Training Presentation for Adaptation Strategies Guide (PDF) (30 pp, 3MB, About PDF)
  

Climate Ready Water Utilities and Climate Ready Estuaries

EPA's Climate Ready Water Utilities (CRWU) and Climate Ready Estuaries (CRE) initiatives are working to coordinate their efforts and support climate change risk assessment and adaptation planning.

• CREAT Exercise with North Hudson Sewerage Authority and New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary Program (PDF) (22 pp, 1MB, About PDF)
  This report details a recent exercise where CREAT was used to support the collaborative process of identifying climate change threats, assessing potential consequences, and evaluating adaptation options for both a utility and for the overall watershed.
  

Other Climate Ready Water Utilities Resources

• EPA Climate Change
• EPA Climate Ready Estuaries
• EPA Clean Water State Revolving Fund's Green Project Reserve
• EPA Effective Utility Management
• EPA Office of Water Climate Change
• EPA State and Local Climate and Energy Program
• EPA Watershed Academy December 2nd, 2010 Webcast "Climate Adaptation Tools for Addressing Water Issues"
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Portal
• US Global Change Research Program

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Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool (CREAT) Courses

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CREAT 101

CREAT 201

CREAT 202

Live Webcasts