Climate Ready Water Utilities (CRWU)

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.

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.

Click on the tabs above for more information on the CRWU initiative, Tools & Resources and Training.

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.

• Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool web page

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.

• 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 and Climate Ready Estuaries 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.
  

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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 Climate Portal
• US Global Change Research Program

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Join EPA's CRWU initiative for a webinar to learn more about the tools and resources available for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater (water sector) utilities in fulfilling their public health and environmental missions.

The webinar series begins with an introduction to the CRWU initiative and climate change adaptation planning. The topics then focus on specific tools to help water sector utilities understand and adapt to climate change impacts.

See the calendar below for webinar dates, topics and descriptions. Click on the "Register Now" button to enroll in each session. The key to the right provides an overview of all topics and dates offered. Please contact us at CRWUhelp@epa.gov for help, questions, or reasonable accommodations.

Date	Topic
1/23/2013	CRWU 101 An introduction to the CRWU initiative and climate change adaptation planning. Learn about the history of the initiative and the tools and resources available to the water sector, including an adaptation guide, an extreme events workshop planner, and comprehensive risk assessment software. CRWU 101 Presentation: Introduction to CRWU Initiative (PDF) (44 pp, 3MB, About PDF)
2/13/2013	Climate Change and the Water Sector An overview of how climate change will impact drinking water and wastewater utilities and how utilities can prepare for these impacts. This webinar also includes an explanation of the science and data sources used in CRWU tools and resources. Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET
2/27/2013	Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool (CREAT) 101 An introduction to CRWU’s risk assessment tool, the CREAT. This webinar outlines CREAT’s risk assessment process, how it can help utilities build more resilient systems, and examples of threats and adaptation options. Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET
3/6/2013	Extreme Events Workshop Planner A demonstration of the Workshop Planner which contains all of the materials a water utility would need to conduct a workshop to manage the impacts of more frequent and intense extreme events. The webinar reviews the steps to plan a workshop and engage with stakeholders, the customizable materials included, and five extreme event scenarios. Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET
3/13/2013	Adaptation Strategies Guide An introduction to the Adaptation Strategies Guide, which helps water utilities learn about and begin climate change adaptation planning. This webinar explains the impacts different regions throughout the country can expect to face along with adaptation strategies that can be used to help prepare systems for impacts. Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET
4/10/2013	Workshop Planner / Adaptation Strategies Guide A joint webinar highlighting the Workshop Planner and the Adaptation Strategies Guide, and how a utility can use them both when developing adaptation plans. It will also highlight utility experiences with the tools. Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET