Overview

The Adaptation Strategies Guide for Water Utilities is a PDF document designed to help water utility managers (e.g., drinking water, wastewater, stormwater) understand regional climate change issues and explore potential adaptation options. The guide consists of three types of linked informational briefs, a glossary explaining potential adaptation options in more depth, and an adaptation planning worksheet (with completed examples) intended to guide users through the document and process. The three informational briefs include: climate region briefs, which describe climate change projections and challenges faced in different geographic areas of the United States; strategy briefs, which group adaption options under common climate challenges faced by water managers (i.e., drought, water quality degradation, floods, ecosystem changes, and service demand and use); and sustainability briefs, which discuss adaptation options for specific challenges selected from the climate region briefs or the challenge group briefs in more detail. For example, sustainability briefs discuss sector-specific options, discuss costs associated with implementation, group adaptation options into different categories (i.e., planning, operational, or capital/infrastructure strategies), and provide real-world examples. The Adaptation Strategies Guide for Water Utilities is useful guide for those new to or looking to expand adaptation efforts, as it covers multiple stages of adaptation.

Phase of Adaptation: Awareness, Assessment, Planning

 

 

Audience

Water utility managers (drinking water, wastewater, stormwater), planners, policymakers, local/state/regional authorities