Responses to Climate Change Program

Climate change has the potential to affect almost all the missions of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The objective of this effort is to partner with other Federal science and water management agencies, and other stakeholders, to develop and begin implementing practical, nationally consistent, and cost-effective approaches and policies to reduce potential vulnerabilities to the Nation’s water infrastructure resulting from climate change and variability. The operations and water management control activities associated with the existing capital stock of USACE water projects provides the largest challenge given future climate change and variability.

In order to ensure continued effective and efficient water operations in both the short (5-10 years) and longer term (10—50 Years), nationally consistent, but regionally tailored water management adaptation strategies and policies are needed. Such policies must balance project operations and water allocations within authorized project purposes, with changing water needs and climate driven changes to operating parameters, working in close coordination with a wide variety of intergovernmental stakeholders and partners. This effort will provide planning and engineering guidance to ensure future infrastructure is designed to be sustainable and robust to a range of potential changes.

USACE is coordinating with other Federal and State agencies on adaptations to climate change for water resources and coastal management, including the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), and other Federal, state and local agencies. The activity will provide a critical mass of resources to support the development of consistent policies among Federal agencies toward climate change

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