auona
raiegy:
Response to Climate Change
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
December 2012
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Definitions of Key Terms
From: America's Climate C/70/ces(NRC, 2010a-d)
Adapt, Adaptation: Adjustment in natural or human systems to a new or
changing environment that exploits beneficial opportunities or moder-
ates negative effects.
Adaptive capacity: The ability of a system to adjust to climate change
(including climate variability and extremes) to moderate potential dam-
ages, to take advantage of opportunities, or to cope with the conse-
quences.
Mitigation: An intervention to reduce the causes of changes in climate,
such as through reducing emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmo-
sphere.
Resilience: A capability to anticipate, prepare for, respond to, and
recover, from significant multi-hazard threats with minimum damage to
social well-being, the economy, and the environment.
Risk: A combination of the magnitude of the potential consequence(s) of
climate change impact(s) and the likelihood that the consequence(s) will
occur.
Stationarity: The idea that natural systems fluctuate within an unchang-
ing envelope of variability.
Vulnerability: The degree to which a system is susceptible to, or un-
able to cope with, adverse effects of climate change, including climate
variability and extremes. Vulnerability is a function of the character,
magnitude, and rate of climate variation to which a system is exposed,
its sensitivity, and its adaptive capacity.
Disclaimer
To the extent this document mentions or discusses statutory or regulatory authority, it
does so for informational purposes only. This document does not substitute for those stat-
utes or regulations, and readers should consult the statutes or regulations to learn what
they require. Neither this document, nor any part of it, is itself a rule or a regulation. Thus,
it cannot change or impose legally binding requirements on EPA, states, the public, or the
regulated community. Further, any expressed intention, suggestion or recommendation
does not impose any legally binding requirements on EPA, states, tribes, the public, or the
regulated community. Agency decision makers remain free to exercise their discretion in
choosing to implement the strategic actions described in this 2012 Strategy. Implementa-
tion of strategic actions contained herein is contingent upon availability of resources and
are subject to change.
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Response to Climate Change
Foreword iii
I. Executive Summary 1
A. The Evolving Context 2
B. Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions 3
C. Geographic Climate Regions 10
D. Cross-Cutting Program Support 10
II. Introduction: The Evolving Context 13
A. 2008 Strategyvs. 2012 Strategy 13
B. Relationship of the 2012 Strategy to Other Planning Activities 13
C. Impacts of Climate Change on Water Resources: Recent Literature 16
D. The Economics of Climate Change Actions 20
III. Framework For A Climate Ready National Water Program 23
A. Guiding Principles 23
B. Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) 25
IV. Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions 27
A. Infrastructure 28
B. Watersheds and Wetlands 36
C. Coastal and Ocean Waters 44
D. Water Quality 55
E. Working With Tribes 63
V. Geographic Climate Regions 67
A. Introduction 67
B. Ongoing Programs Relevant to Climate Change across All Regions 68
C. EPA and Climate Regions—Goals and Strategic Actions 69
VI. Cross-Cutting Program Support 91
A. Goal 17: Communication, Collaboration, and Training 91
B. Goal 18: Tracking Progress and Measuring Outcomes 94
C. Goal 19: Climate Change and Water Research Needs 99
VII. Appendices 103
Appendix A: Principles for an Energy Water Future—The Foundation for a
Sustainable America 103
Appendix B: Goals and Strategic Actions: Lead Offices 105
Appendix C: List of Abbreviations 112
Appendix D: References 113
Appendix E: Acknowledgements 120
www.epa.gov/water/climatechange Table of Contents
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oreword
FOR THE PAST FORTY YEARS, federal, state,
tribal, and local governments have worked
diligently to identify and address water pollution
problems. As a result, our drinking water is safer, our
rivers, lakes, and coastal waters are cleaner, and the
health of our wetlands and watersheds is improved.
In 2008, the EPA National Water Program Strategy:
Response to Climate Change described the emerg-
ing scientific consensus on the potential impacts of
climate change on water resources. Increasingly,
impacts are being observed in communities across
the nation and are expected to continue, including:
• Increases in water pollution problems due
to warmer air and water temperatures and
changes in precipitation patterns;
• Impacts on water infrastructure and aquatic
systems due to more extreme weather events;
• Changes to the availability of drinking water
supplies;
• Waterbody boundary movement and
displacement;
• Changing aquatic biology;
• Collective impacts on coastal areas; and
• Indirect impacts due to unintended
consequences of human response to climate
change.
Despite increasing understanding of climate
change, there still remain questions about the
scope and timing of climate change impacts, espe-
cially at the local scale where most water-related
decisions are made. These challenges require us
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
all to come together to find the tools needed to understand and manage risks and to
build resilience of both the built and natural environments.
This National Water Program 2012 Strategy: Response to Climate Change builds on
the momentum gained while implementing the 2008 Strategy. It provides a road map
for where we need to go over the long term and articulates a set of mid-term building
blocks, i.e., strategic actions that need to be taken to be a "climate ready" national
water program. This 2072 Strategy emphasizes working collaboratively, developing
tools, managing risk, and incorporating adaptation into core programs. Many programs
and activities already underway become even more important in light of climate change
- including strengthening preparedness for extreme weather events, protecting healthy
watersheds and wetlands, managing stormwater with green infrastructure, and improv-
ing the sustainability of water infrastructure through energy and water efficiency.
The wider context of climate change-related activity that is underway throughout the
nation provides an opportunity to work with partners and stakeholders to achieve the
goals of the EPA National Water Program while contributing to broader national goals
to sustain the natural resources that support our vibrant economy and our quality of life
for current and future generations.
Nancy Stoner
Acting Assistant Administrator for Water
IV
Foreword
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CLIMATE CHANGE poses significant challenges
to water resources and the Environmental Pro-
tection Agency's (EPA) National Water Program
(NWP). The NWP 2012 Strategy: Response to Climate
Change addresses climate change in the context of
our water programs. It emphasizes assessing and
managing risk and incorporating adaptation into
core programs. Many of the programs and activi-
ties already underway throughout the NWP—such
as protecting healthy watersheds and wetlands;
managing stormwater with green infrastructure;
and improving the efficiency and sustainability of
water infrastructure, including promoting energy and
water efficiency, reducing pollutants, and protecting
drinking water and public health—are even more
important to do in light of climate change. However,
climate change poses such significant challenges to
the nation's water resources that more transforma-
tive approaches will be necessary. These include
critical reflection on programmatic assumptions and
development and implementation of plans to address
climate change's challenges.
This 2072 Strategy articulates such an approach.
The reader is advised not to interpret the framing of
individual strategic actions that use terms such as
"encourage" or "consider" to mean that the NWP
doesn't recognize the urgency of action. Rather,
we recognize that adaptation is itself transforma-
tive and requires a collaborative, problem-solving
approach, especially in a resource-constrained
environment. Further, "adaptive management"
doesn't imply a go-slow or a wait-and-see ap-
proach; rather, it is an active approach to under-
stand vulnerability, reduce risk, and prepare for
consequences while incorporating new science
and lessons learned along the way.
EPA Vision: Despite the ongoing effects
of climate change, the National Water
Program will continue to achieve its mis-
sion to protect and restore our waters to
ensure that drinking water is safe; and that
aquatic ecosystems sustain fish, plants,
and wildlife, as well as economic, recre-
ational, and subsistence activities.
EPA National Water Program 2012 Strategy:
Response to Climate Change
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
Impacts of Climate
Change on Water Resources
Increases in water pollution problems due
to warmer air and water temperatures and
changes in precipitation patterns, causing
an increase in the number of waters catego-
rized as "impaired," with associated impacts
on human health and aquatic ecosystems.
Impacts on water infrastructure and aquatic
systems due to more extreme weather
events, including heavier precipitation and
tropical and inland storms.
Changes in the availability of drinking
water supplies due to increased frequency,
severity and duration of drought, chang-
ing patterns of precipitation and snowmelt,
increased evaporation, and aquifer saltwa-
ter intrusion, affecting public water supply,
agriculture, industry, and energy production
uses.
Water body boundary movement and dis-
placements as rising sea levels alter ocean
and estuarine shorelines and as changes in
water flow, precipitation, and evaporation
affect the size of wetlands and lakes.
Changing aquatic biology due to warmer
water and changing flows, resulting in
deterioration of aquatic ecosystem health in
some areas.
Collective impacts on coastal areas result-
ing from a combination of sea level rise,
increased damage from floods and storms,
coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion to drink-
ing water supplies, and increasing tempera-
ture and acidification of the oceans.
Indirect impacts due to unintended con-
sequences of human response to climate
change, such as those resulting from, for
example, armoring shorelines or carbon
sequestration and other greenhouse gas
reduction strategies.
jas
A. The Evolving Context
The first National Water Program Strategy: Response to Cli-
mate Change was published in 2008; it identified 44 key actions
that could be taken in the near term to begin to understand
and address the potential impacts of climate change on water
resources and EPA's mission. This 2072 Strategy builds on the
momentum gained since then; it describes a set of long-term
goals for the management of sustainable water resources for
future generations in light of climate change, and charts the key
"building blocks," (i.e., strategic actions) that would need to be
taken to achieve those goals. It also reflects the wider context
of climate change-related activity that is underway throughout
the nation. The 2072 Strategy is intended to be a roadmapto
guide future programmatic planning and inform decision-makers
during the Agency's annual planning process. It describes an
array of important actions that should be taken to be a "climate
ready" national water program.
A cross-Agency workgroup embraced 10 guiding principles
to inform development of the revised and updated NWP 2012
Strategy. In addition, the 2012Strategy\s designed to reflect
the findings of the Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task
Force (ICCATF) and includes EPA's commitments under three
climate change strategic plans under development within the
federal government for:
• Freshwater resources by the ICCATF Freshwater Work
Group.
• The ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes by the National
Ocean Council (NOC).
• Fish, wildlife, and plants by the National Fish, Wildlife
and Plants Climate Adaptation Workgroup.
This 2012 Strategy \s also intended to be consistent with EPA's
broader adaptation planning. Recognizing that climate change
is one stressor among many others that water resource manag-
ers are grappling with, this strategy is also designed to build on
other initiatives, such as the recent Coming Together for Clean
Water strategy and EPA's Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water
Infrastructure Sustainability Policy.
Executive Summary
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Response to Climate Change
B. Programmatic Visions, Goals, and
Strategic Actions
The core programmatic elements of this strategy include:
• Infrastructure
• Watersheds and Wetlands
• Coastal and Ocean Waters
• Protecting Water Quality
• Working with Tribes
Each section addressing these core elements is organized using
a three-tier framework: Vision, Goals, and Strategic Actions.
Each section includes a long-term Vision, or outcome, for which
EPA may be only one of many actors.
For each Vision, we identify a set of Goals that reflects the same
long-term timeframe as the Vision. The Goals, however, articu-
late EPA's mission and role in achieving the Vision, and describe
whatwe are trying to achieve.
Finally, each Goal contains several Strategic Actions. The Stra-
tegic Actions are the programmatic building blocks to achieve
the Goals. These describe ftoi/i/the NWP intends to work over
the next three to eightyears in pursuit of our longer term Goals
and Visions.
On page 4, Table ES-1 summarizes the Visions, Goals, and
Strategic Actions described in this 2012Strategy. In total, we
describe 5 Visions, 19 Goals, and 53 Strategic Actions.
*
Ten Guiding Principles
Integrated Water Resources Management
(IWRM)
Adaptive Management
Collaborative Learning and Capacity
Development
Long Term Planning (i.e., multi-decadal
time horizon)
Energy-Water Nexus
Systems & Portfolio Approach
Cost of Inaction
Environmental Justice
Performance Evaluation
Mainstreaming Climate Change into Core
Programs
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Executive Summary
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
Table ES-1: Summary of Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions
Infrastructure: In the face of a changing climate, resilient and adaptable drinking
water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities (i.e., the water utility sector) ensure
clean and safe water to protect the nation's public health and environment by making
smart investment decisions to improve the sustainability of their infrastructure and
operations and the communities they serve, while reducing greenhouse gas emis-
sions through greater energy efficiency.
SA1: Improve access to vetted climate and hydrological science,
modeling, and assessment tools thro ugh the Climate Ready Water
Utilities program.
Goal!:
Build the body of informa-
tion and tools needed to
incorporate climate change
into planning and decision
making.
SA2: Assist wastewater and water utilities to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions and increase long-term sustainability with a com-
bination of energy efficiency, co-generation, and increased use of
renewable energy resources.
SA3: Work with the states and public water systems, particularly
small water systems, to identify and plan for climate change chal-
lenges to drinking water safety and to assist in meeting health
based drinking water standards.
SA4: Promote sustainable design approaches to provide for the
long-term sustainability of infrastructure and operations.
Goal 2:
Support Integrated Water
Resources Managementto
sustainably manage water
resources.
SAB: Understand and promote through technical assistance the use
of water supply management strategies.
SAG: Evaluate and provide technical assistance on the use of water
demand management strategies.
SA7: Increase cross-sector knowledge of water supply climate
challenges and develop watershed specific information to inform
decision making.
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Response to Climate Change
Table ES-1: Summary of Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions (cont.)
Watersheds & Wetlands: Watersheds are protected, maintained, and restored to
provide climate resilience and to preserve the ecological, social, and economic
benefits they provide; and the nation's wetlands are maintained and improved using
integrated approaches that recognize their inherent value as well as their role in
reducing the impacts of climate change.
SA8: Develop a national framework and support efforts to protect
remaining healthy watersheds and aquatic ecosystems.
Goal 3:
Identify, protect, and main-
tain a network of healthy
watersheds and supportive
habitat corridor networks.
SA9: Collaborate with partners on terrestrial ecosystems and
hydrology so that effects on water quality and aquatic ecosystems
are considered.
SA10: Integrate protection of healthy watersheds throughout the
NWP core programs.
SA11: Increase public awareness of the role and importance of
healthy watersheds in reducing the impacts of climate change.
Goal 4:
Incorporate climate
resilience into watershed
restoration and floodplain
management.
SA12: Consider a means of accounting for climate change in EPA
funded and other watershed restoration projects.
SA13: Work with federal, state, interstate, tribal, and local partners
to protect and restore the natural resources and functions of riv-
erine and coastal floodplains as a means of building resiliency and
protecting water quality.
Goal 5:
Watershed protection prac-
tices incorporate Source
Water Protection to protect
drinking water supplies.
SAM: Encourage states to update their source water delineations,
assessments or protection plans to address anticipated climate
change impacts.
SA15: Continue to support collaborative efforts to increase state
and local awareness of source water protection needs and oppor-
tunities, and encourage inclusion of source water protection areas
in local climate change adaptation initiatives.
Goal 6:
EPA incorporates climate
change considerations into
its wetlands programs, in-
cluding the Clean Water Act
404 program, as appropriate.
SA16: Considerthe effects of climate change, as appropriate, when
making significant degradation determinations in the CWA Section
404 wetlands permitting and enforcement program.
SA17: Evaluate, in conjunction with the U.S. Army Corps of En-
gineers, how wetland and stream compensation projects could
be selected, designed, and sited to aid in reducing the effects of
climate change.
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Executive Summary
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
Table ES-1: Summary of Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions (cant.)
Goal?:
Improve baseline information
on wetland extent, condition,
and performance to inform
long term planning and prior-
ity setting thattakes into
accountthe potential added
benefits for climate change
adaptation and carbon
sequestration.
SA18: Expand wetland mapping by supporting wetland mapping
coalitions and training on use of the new federal Wetland Mapping
Standard.
SA19: Produce a statistically valid ecological condition assessment
of the nation's wetlands.
SA20: Work with partners and stakeholders to develop informa-
tion and tools to support long term planning and priority setting for
wetland restoration projects.
Coastal and Ocean Waters: Adverse effects of climate change along with collective
stressors and unintended adverse consequences of responses to climate change
have been successfully prevented or reduced in the ocean and coastal environment.
Federal, tribal, state and local agencies, organizations, and institutions are working
cooperatively; and information necessary to integrate climate change consider-
ations into ocean and coastal management is produced, readily available, and used.
Goal 8:
Collaborate so that informa-
tion and methodologiesfor
ocean and coastal areas are
collected, produced, ana-
lyzed, and easily available.
SA21: Collaborate so that synergy occurs, lessons learned are
transferred,federal efforts effectively help local communities, and
efforts are not duplicative or at cross-purposes.
SA22: Work within EPA and with the U.S. Global Change Research
Program and otherfederal,tribal, and state agencies to collect,
produce, analyze, and format knowledge and information needed to
protect ocean and coastal areas and make it easily available.
Goal 9:
Support and build networks
of local, tribal, state, regional
and federal collaborators
to take effective adaptation
measuresfor coastal and
ocean environments through
EPA's geographically tar-
geted programs.
SA23: Work with the NWP's larger geographic programs to incor-
porate climate change considerations, focusing on both the natural
and built environments.
SA24: Address climate change adaptation and build stakeholder
capacity when implementing National Estuary Program Compre-
hensive Conservation and Management Plans and through the
Climate Ready Estuaries Program.
SA25: Conduct outreach and education, and provide technical
assistance to state and local watershed organizations and com-
munities to build adaptive capacity in coastal areas outside the NEP
and Large Aquatic Ecosystem programs.
Executive Summary
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Response to Climate Change
Table ES-1: Summary of Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions (cont.)
Goal 10:
Address climate driven
environmental changes in
coastal areas and provide
that mitigation and adapta-
tion are conducted in an
environmentally responsible
manner.
SA26: Support coastal wastewater, stormwater, and drinking water
infrastructure owners and operators in reducing climate risks and
encourage adaptation in coastal areas.
SA27: Support climate readiness of coastal communities, includ-
ing hazard mitigation, pre-disaster planning, preparedness, and
recovery efforts.
SA28: Support preparation and response planning for impacts to
coastal aquatic environments.
SA29: Consider climate change impacts on marine water quality in
NWP ocean management authorities, policies, and programs.
Goal 11:
Protect ocean environments
by incorporating shifting
environmental conditions
and other emerging threats
into EPA programs.
SA30: Use available authorities and work with the regional ocean
organizations and otherfederal and state agencies through regional
ocean groups and other networks so that off shore renewable en-
ergy production does not adversely affect the marine environment.
SA31: Supportthe evaluation of sub-seabed sequestration of
carbon dioxide and any proposals for ocean fertilization.
SA32: Participate in interagency development and implementation
of federal strategies through the National Ocean Council and the
National Ocean Council Strategic Action Plans.
Water Quality: Our Nation's surface water, drinking water, and ground water quality
are protected, and the risks of climate change to human health and the environment
are diminished, through a variety of adaptation and mitigation strategies.
SA33: Encourage states and communities to incorporate climate
change considerations into their water quality planning.
Goal 12:
Protect waters of the United
States and promote manage-
ment of sustainable surface
water resources.
SA34: Encourage green infrastructure and low-impact development
to protect water quality and make watersheds more resilient.
SA35: Promote consideration of climate change impacts by
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit-
ting authorities.
SA36: Encourage water quality authorities to consider climate
change impacts when developing wasteload and load allocations in
Total Maximum Daily Loads where appropriate.
SA37: Identify and protect designated uses that are at riskfrom
climate change impacts.
SA38: Clarify howto re-evaluate aquatic life waterquality criteria
on more regular intervals; and develop information to assist states
and tribes who are developing criteria that incorporate climate
change considerations for hydrologic condition.
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Executive Summary
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
Table ES-1: Summary of Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions (cont.)
Goal 13:
Asthe nation makes deci-
sions to reduce greenhouse
gases and develop alterna-
tive sources of energy and
fuel, workto protect water
resources from unintended
adverse consequences.
SA39: Continue to provide perspective on the water resource impli-
cations of new energy technologies.
SA40: Provide assistance to states and permittees to assure that
geologic sequestration of C02 is responsibly managed.
SA41: Continue to work with States to help them identify polluted
waters, including those affected by biofuels production, and help
them develop and implement Tola I Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)
forthose waters.
SA42: Provide informational materials for stakeholders to encour-
age the consideration of alternative sources of energy and fuels
that are water efficient and maintain water quality.
SA43: As climate change affects the operation or placement of
reservoirs, work with other federal agencies and EPA prog rams to
understand the combined effects of climate change and hydropow-
er on flows, water temperature, and water quality.
SA44: Monitor climate change impacts to surface waters and
ground water.
Goal 14:
Collaborate to make hydro-
logical and climate data and
projections available.
SA45: Collaborate with otherfederal agencies to develop new
methods for use of updated precipitation, storm frequency, and
observational streamflow data, as well as methods for evaluating
projected changes in lowflow conditions.
SA46: Enhance flow estimation using National Hydrography Dataset
Plus(NHDPIus).
Working With Tribes: Tribes are able to preserve, adapt, and maintain the viability of
their culture, traditions, natural resources, and economies in the face of a changing
climate.
Goal 15:
Incorporate climate change
considerations in the
implementation of core pro-
grams, and collaborate with
other EPA offices and federal
agencies to work with tribes
on climate change issues on
a multi-media basis.
SA47: Through formal consultation and other mechanisms, incor-
porate climate change as a key consideration in the revised NWP
Tribal Strategy and subsequent implementation of Clean Water Act,
Safe Drinking Water Act, and other core programs.
SA48: Incorporate adaptation into tribal funding mechanisms, and
collaborate with other EPA and fed era I funding programs to support
sustainability and adaptation in tribal communities.
Goal 16:
Tribes have access to infor-
mation on climate change for
decision making.
SA49: Collaborate to explore and develop climate change science,
information,and toolsfortribes,and incorporate local knowledge.
SA50: Collaborate to develop communication materials relevantfor
tribal uses and tribal audiences.
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Response to Climate Change
Table ES-1: Summary of Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions (cont.)
Cross-Cutting Program Support
Goal 17:
Communicate, Collaborate,
and Train.
SA51: Continue building the communication, collaboration, and
training mechanisms needed to effectively increase adaptive ca-
pacity atthe federal,tribal, state, and local levels.
Goal 18:
Track Progress and Measure
Outcomes
SA52: Adopt a phased approach to track programmatic progress
towards Strategic Actions; achieve commitments reflected in the
Agency's Strategic Plan; work with an EPA workgroup to develop
outcome measures.
Goal 19:
Identify Climate Change and
Water Research Needs
SA53: Work with EPA's Office of Research and Development, other
water science agencies, and the water research community to fur-
ther define needs and develop research opportunities to deliver the
information needed to support implementation of this 2012 Strategy,
including providing the decision support tools needed by water
resource managers.
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
Table ES-2
USGCRP Climate Regions
and EPA Regions
Climate Regions
Northeast
Southeast
Midwest
Great Plains
Southwest
Pacific Northwest
Montane
Alaska
Caribbean Islands
EPA Regions
1,2,3
3,4,6
2,5,7
6,7,8
6,8,9
8,10
8,9,10
10
2
C. Geographic Climate Regions
This section describes the collective strategic focus of EPA
Regions working together, organized by the climate impact
regions delineated by the U.S. Global Change Research Program
(USGCRP), with the addition of a "Montane" region (Table ES-2).
Several EPA Regions span multiple USGCRP regions and there-
fore, each EPA Region will address a variety of climate impacts
in its program implementation.
Successfully achieving the long-term goals will result from
strong partnerships with federal agencies, states, interstates,
tribes, local governments, nongovernmental, and private sec-
tor stakeholders. Specific partnerships in each climate region
will vary according to the needs and issues of that region. Of
particular importance are the federal efforts underway by the
ICCATFto develop "regional consortia" of federal agencies to
coordinate delivery of climate services to regional and local
stakeholders that include, among others, Landscape Conserva-
tion Cooperatives (LCCs) and Climate Science Centers (CSCs)
launched by the Department of the Interior, and the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) Regional
Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISAs) and National
Climatic Data Centers.
D. Cross-Cutting Program Support
This section describes essential processes to support and ef-
fectively implement the Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions.
Communication, Collaboration, and Training: The NWP intends
to strengthen and expand collaboration, outreach, and training
with key partners throughout EPA and with other federal agen-
cies; state, interstate, tribal, and local water program managers;
and nongovernmental and private sector stakeholders, using
both formal and informal stakeholder involvement opportunities.
Tracking Progress and Measuring Outcomes: Measuring
progress toward adaptation is complicated. The current state
of practice leans largely to tracking institutional progress in
incorporating climate change considerations into programs.
Similarly, the NWP is developing an approach that evaluates the
collectivity of outputs and actions to demonstrate progress in
each of several phases toward achieving resilience to climate
change, noted in Table ES-3. The NWP intends to work with
the State-Tribal Climate Change Council and other partners to
refine this approach. As EPA and the ICCATF develop methods
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Response to Climate Change
for measuring outcomes, the NWP intends to incorporate those
measures into its evaluation process. In addition, this 2012Strat-
egy reflects the NWP's intent to meet the Agency-wide strategic
measures adopted in the EPA 2011-2015 Strategic Plan and
achieve measures embodied in future EPA Strategic Plans.
Climate Change and Water Research Needs: The 2012 Strategy
identifies the types of research needed to support the goals and
strategic actions. The NWP intends to continue to work with the
EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD), other water
science agencies, and the water research community to further
define needs and develop collaborative and coordinated re-
search opportunities.
Conclusion
Climate change alters the hydrological background in which
EPA's programs function. In response, EPA intends to evaluate
the need to revise data collection, analytical methods, and even
regulatory practices that have been developed over the past
40 years since passage of the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the
Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). This is no easy task; ensuring
that EPA's programs continue to protect public health and the
environment and sustain the economy calls for immediate and
sustained collaboration at the federal, state, interstate, tribal,
and local levels.
Table ES-3
Tracking Progress: Phases of
Organizational Adaptation
1. Initiation
2. Assessment
3. Response Development
4. Initial Implementation
5. Robust Implementation
6. Mainstreaming
7. Monitoring and Adaptive
Management
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
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Executive Summary 11
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I. Introduction: The Evolving Context
A. 2008 Strategy vs. 2012 Strategy
THE National Water Program Strategy: Response to Climate Change, published in 2008
(2008 Strategy), describes the likely effects that climate change will have on water
resources and their implications for the EPA's NWP.1 The 2008 Strategylaid out 44 "key
actions" that the NWP intended to take during 2008-2009, and an update extended the period
of action to 2010-2011 (EPA,2008a).
The 2012 Strategy builds on the momentum achieved through the implementation of the 44 key
actions in the 2008 Strategy. Further, this 2012 Strategy describes a longer term vision for the
management of sustainable water resources in light of climate change and identifies the key
"building blocks" or strategic actions that need to be taken to achieve the long-term goals. It
also reflects the wider context of climate change-related activity that is underway through-
out the nation. This 2012 Strategy is a roadmap that reflects directional intention. While it
describes an array of important actions consistent with creating a "climate-ready" national
water program, it does not outline commitments to act within a specific timeframe. All pro-
posed activities are contingent upon availability of resources and subject to change as new
information develops to inform adaptive responses.
B. Relationship of the 2012 Strategy to Other Planning
Activities
The Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force (the Task Force) was established
under Executive Order 13514 (CEQ, 2009) to develop recommendations for climate change
adaptation. On October 5,2010, the Task Force delivered its initial report to the President with
a first set of recommendations (CEQ, 2010a).
Two recommendations in the October 2010 Task Force Report inform the development of the
2012 Strategy. First, the Task Force's Freshwater Workgroup2 was asked to develop a Na-
tional Action Plan (NAP) in coordination with similar action plans under development; one by
ICCATF's Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Workgroup (FWP Workgroup) and the
other by the National Ocean Council (NOC) addressing ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes re-
sources. An ICCATF coordinating team has worked together to ensure that the three national
adaptation strategies produced by these three workgroups are complementary.
The term "National Water Program" refers to the Office of Water (OW) plus the water programs in the 10 EPA Re-
gions, and recognizes that many of our programs are implemented by state and tribal water authorities.
Since 2009, Michael Shapiro, EPA Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water, has served as co-chair of the Task
Force's Water Workgroup along with Matthew Larsen, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Associate Director for Climate
and Land Use Change, and Jeffrey Peterson, White House Council on Environmental Quality Deputy Associate
Director for Water Policy.
www.epa.gov/water/climatechange
Introduction
13
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
Subsequently, the Freshwater Workgroup published the National Action Plan titled Priorities
for Managing Freshwater Resources in a Changing Climate3 (CEQ, 2011 a), which describes a
National Goal, supported by six recommendations, described below:
Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force
Freshwater National Action Plan
National Goal: Government agencies and citizens work collaboratively to
manage freshwater resources in response to a changing climate in order to
assure adequate water supplies, to protect human life, health and property,
and to protect water quality and aquatic ecosystems.
• Recommendation #1: Establish a Planning Process and Organizational
Framework
• Recommendation # 2: Improve Water Resources and Climate Change
Information
• Recommendation # 3: Strengthen Assessment of Vulnerability
• Recommendation # 4: Expand Water Use Efficiency
• Recommendation # 5: Support Integrated Water Resources Management
• Recommendation # 6: Support Training and Outreach to Build Response
Capability
—ICCATF Freshwater National Action Plan (CEQ, 2011a)
The Freshwater NAP lays out 24 key actions that support the six recommendations. For some
of the supporting actions, EPA will provide leadership, and for those led by other federal agen-
cies, EPA will participate as a team member, as appropriate.
EPA water program staff and managers also participate on the NOC (NOC, 2011) and the Fish,
Wildlife, and Plants (FWP) Workgroup (FWP, 2011), and EPA's NWP commitments in those
adaptation plans are also reflected in this 2012 Strategy.
The second recommendation of the Interagency Task Force report called on every federal
agency to develop and implement a climate adaptation plan addressing the challenges posed
to our missions and operations. The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
issued implementation instructions on climate adaptation planning to all federal agencies
(CEQ, 2011a and b); initial plans were to be submitted by June 2012, and more complete plans
submitted by June 2013. In response, EPA established a Policy on Climate Change Adaptation,
issued June 2,2011 (EPA, 2011a), and formed a cross-EPA WorkGroup on Climate Change
Adaptation Planning (EPA Work Group). The Office of Water (OW) and the 10 EPA Regions
participate on the EPA WorkGroup, ensuring that the two Strategies (NWP's and EPA's) are
consistent and mutually reinforcing. EPA submitted its plan to CEQ on June 28, 2012.
14
3 Printed copies of the National Action Plan are available by sending an email to the following address: adaptation®
ceq.eop.gov, stating addressee, mailing address, and the number of copies desired (limit of three).
Introduction www.epa.gov/water/climatechange
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Response to Climate Change
Additionally, EPA has adopted Agency-wide goals that call for each program office to incorpo-
rate climate change science trend and scenario information into five major scientific models
and/or decision-support tools; five rulemaking processes; and five major grant, loan, contract,
ortechnical assistance programs, and sets a target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions
through energy and resource conservation (EPA, 2010a). This 2012 Strategy reflects the NWP's
commitment to achieving each of these measures by 2015. (Seethe section on Tracking Prog-
ress and Measuring Outcomes in Chapter VI for more discussion.)
Finally, in 2010, EPA convened a forum to discuss how to accelerate progress in protecting the
nation's waters. The resulting white paper, titled Coming Together for Clean l/l/ater(CT4CW),
recognizes that climate change is just one of the several stressors to water resources (EPA,
2011b). The Coming Together strategy presents a framework for how EPA's NWP will work to
address today's clean water challenges, such as stormwater, nutrients, and protecting and
restoring watersheds. The Infrastructure Sustainability Policy reflects EPA's goal to ensure
that federal investments, policies, and actions support water infrastructure in efficient and
sustainable locations to best aid existing communities, enhance economic competitiveness,
and promote affordable neighborhoods. The NWP 2012 Strategy should be viewed as an in-
depth treatment of climate change, addressing one of the new and challenging issues facing
our program, and as an integral and complementary part of overall NWP strategic planning
and initiatives.
Despite many successes over recent years, the rate at which waters are be-
ing listed for impairment exceeds the rate at which they are being restored.
The causes of degradation are in many cases far more complex, and not
as visible to the naked eye as they were years ago; the solutions are often
available technically, but because the pollution comes from multiple sources,
and involves a greater array of pollutants and stressors, it requires new
and innovative partnerships and approaches. In some cases EPA and state
authorities are limited in scope, and as a result it is challenging to directly
address root causes—i.e., population growth, urbanization, agriculture, and
other nonpoint source pollution. Building strong and
effective partnerships with the widest
range of stakeholders, state, local,
and tribal partners, and other fed-
eral agencies has never been so
urgent if we are to protect our
water and its multiple uses for
generations to come.
—Coming Together for Clean
Water, (EPA, 2011b)
www.epa.gov/water/climatechange
Introduction
15
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
C. Impacts of Climate Change on Water Resources: Recent
Literature
Recently published assessments and other reports reinforce the findings in the 2008 Strategy
that climate change has significant implications for water resources and water programs.
They support EPA's determination that these implications should be addressed in each part of
the NWP in order to achieve EPA's mission of protecting human health and the environment.
It is important to note that not all impacts of climate change will necessarily be disruptive
to particular programmatic endpoints, and that some could at least in the near term provide
beneficial opportunities. However, on balance, the range of challenges posed by the interface
between built and natural systems and the changing hydrometeorological background condi-
tions is likely to require response actions in order to minimize detrimental effects to current
built and natural systems. The impacts listed here refer to the general risks to water resources
posed by climate change, but whether and to what degree these risks are likely to be realized
in specific locations will require local assessment. The reader is referred to the original 2008
Strategy, as well as more recent literature cited below and the references cited in Appendix
D, for a more detailed discussion of the implications of climate change for water resources
and EPA's water programs. These implications include:
Figure 1: Global Surface Tempera-
ture Change—1880 to 2010 (degrees
Celsius)—Compared to Base Period
1951 to 1980
Global Land—Ocean Tcmperatarc Index
.2
• Annual Mean
• 5-year Running Mean
Increases in water pollution problems:
Warmer air temperatures will result in
warmer water. Warmer waters will hold
less dissolved oxygen, making instances
of low oxygen levels and "hypoxia" (i.e.,
when dissolved oxygen declines to the
point where aquatic species can no
longer survive) more likely; foster harmful
algal blooms; and change the toxicity of
some pollutants (Figure 1).
The number of waters categorized as
"impaired" is likely to increase, even
if pollution levels are stable, with as-
sociated impacts on human health from
waterborne disease and degradation of
aquatic ecosystems.
Impacts on water infrastructure and
aquatic systems due to more extreme
weather events (Figure 2): Heavier
precipitation from tropical and inland
storms will increase flood risk, expand
flood hazard areas, increase the vari- \_
ability of streamflows (i.e., higher high-
flows and lower low-flows), increase the velocity of water during high-flow periods,
and increase erosion. These changes will have adverse effects on water quality and
aquatic ecosystem health. For example, increases in intense rainfall result in more
-4
I8SO 1900
I WO I MO 1980 2000
Black curve shows annual average temperatures; red curve shows a
five-year running average; green bars indicate the estimated uncertainty
in the data during different periods of the record. Source: NASAGISS
updated through 2010 at http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/graphs/.
16
Introduction
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Response to Climate Change
Figure 2: Increases in Annual Number of
Days With Very Heavy Precipitation
nutrients, pathogens, and toxins being
washed into water bodies.
Changes to water availability: In some
parts of the country, droughts, changing
patterns of precipitation and snowmelt,
and increased water loss due to evapora-
tion as a result of warmer temperatures
will result in changes to the availability of
water for drinking and for use in agricul-
ture, industry, and energy production. In
other areas, sea level rise and saltwa-
ter intrusion will have the same effect.
Warmer air temperatures may also result
in increased demands on community
water supplies, and the water needs for
agriculture, industry, and energy produc-
tion are likely to increase.
Waterbody boundary movement and
displacement: Rising sea levels will
move ocean and estuarine shorelines by
inundating lowlands, displacing wetlands,
and altering the tidal range in rivers and
bays. Changing water flow to lakes and
streams, increased evaporation, and
changed precipitation in some areas will affect the size of wetlands and lakes. Water
levels in the Great Lakes are expected to fall.
Changing aquatic biology: As waters become warmer, the aquatic life they now sup-
port will be replaced by other species better adapted to the warmer water (i.e., cold-
water fish will be replaced by warmwater fish). This process, however, will occur at
an uneven pace, disrupting aquatic system health and allowing nonindigenous and/or
invasive species to become established. In the long term (i.e., 50 years), warmer water
and changing flows may result in significant deterioration of aquatic ecosystem health
in some areas.
Collective impacts on coastal areas: Most areas of the United States will see several
water-related impacts, but coastal areas are likely to see multiple impacts associated
with climate change (e.g., sea level rise, increased damage from floods and storms,
coastal erosion, changes in drinking water supplies, increasing temperature); acidifica-
tion (e.g., decreases in pH, decreases in carbonate ion availability for calcifying organ-
isms, changes in fish behavior); and nitrogen and phosphorus pollution, which could
result in more profound consequences to water resources and ecosystem services.
These overlapping impacts make protecting water resources in coastal areas espe-
cially challenging.
Indirect impacts: Likely responses to climate change include development of alternative
methods of energy and fuel production that reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, as
Increases in Annual Number of Days
0-10% 11-20% 21-30% 31-40% 41-50% 51-60%
Source: U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP). (2009). Global
Climate Change Impacts in the United States, [Thomas R. Karl, Jerry M. Mel-
illo, and Thomas C. Peterson, (eds.)]. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Retrieved from http://www.globalchange.gov/publications/reports/
scientific-assessments/us-impacts
V /
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Introduction 17
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
Figure 3: Projected Changes in Annual
Runoff: 2041-2060
•40 -20 -tO -S -2
P&roeiH
Runoff, which accumulates as streamflow, is the amount of precipitation
that is not evaporated, stored as snowpackor soil moisture, or filtered
down to ground water. Projected changes in median runoff for 2041-2060,
relative to a 1901-1970 baseline, are mapped by water-resource region.
Colors indicate percentage changes in runoff. Hatched areas indicate
greater confidence due to strong agreement among model projections.
White areas indicate divergence among model projections. Results are
based on emissions in between the lower and higher emissions scenarios
of the IPCC. Image credit: U.S. Global Change Research Program (www.
globalchange.gov).
well as finding ways to sequester carbon
generated by energy production. Alterna-
tive methods of both energy production
and sequestration can have impacts on
water resources, including increased
water use and withdrawals, potential
nonpoint pollution impacts of expanded
agricultural production, increased water
temperatures due to discharge of process
cooling waters, pollution concentration
due to low flows, and effects of carbon
sequestration on ground water or ocean
environments.
As noted, not all near-term impacts of climate
change will necessarily be disruptive and could,
in some cases, provide benefits. For example,
increased precipitation could improve flows sup-
porting aquatic ecosystem health in some areas,
and changing sea levels could aid submerged
aquatic vegetation. (Figure 3)
Recent publications on the impacts of climate
change include the June 2009 report titled Global
Climate Change Impacts in the United States, produced by the USGCRP (formerly the U.S. Cli-
mate Change Science Program). The report reviews the scientific findings of 21 Synthesis and
Assessment Products (SAPs) and builds on previous USGCRP and Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) assessments. It describes both observed and expected impacts of cli-
mate change for the United States and presents regional and sectoral assessments (USGCRP,
2009a). In December 2009, EPA issued the Endangerment and Cause or Contribute Findings for
Greenhouse Gases under Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act. EPA relied on the major scientific
assessment reports to find that greenhouse gases pose a risk to public health and welfare.
Observed and projected impacts of climate change on water resources in the United States
were components of the Findings (EPA, 2009a).
The National Research Council (NRC) produced a set of reports in 2010 at the request of Con-
gress (Public Law 110-161) to study the issues associated with global climate change and pro-
vide advice on the most effective steps and strategies that can be taken to respond. The study,
titled America's Climate Choices, resulted in five reports: Advancing the Science of Climate
Change, Limiting the Magnitude of Future Climate Change, Adapting to the Impacts of Climate
Change, Informing Effective Decisions and Actions Related to Climate Change, and Synthesis
for Policy Makers, synthesizing the previous four reports (NRC, 2010a-d).
In late 2010, the NRC produced the report Climate Stabilization Targets: Emissions, Concentra-
tions, and Impacts over Decades to Millennia, including an associated brochure (NRC, 2010e;
NRC, 2011 a). The report describes likely ranges of temperature increases during the 21st
10 20 40
18
Introduction
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Response to Climate Change
century and beyond for a given concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and as-
sociates those temperatures with likely effects on natural and human systems:
Scientific progress has increased confidence in the understanding of how global warm-
ing levels of 7°, 2°, 3°, 4°, 5°C, and so on, affects many aspects of the physical climate
system, including regional and seasonal changes in temperature and precipitation, as
well as effects on hurricanes, sea ice, snow, permafrost, sea level, and ocean acidifica-
tion. Climate Stabilization Targets attempt to quantify the outcomes of different stabiliza-
tion targets on the climate system, as much as is possible based on currently available
scientific evidence and information (NRC, 2011a).
The Climate Stabilization Targets then presents an indicative (not comprehensive) evaluation
of likely impacts of each °C (1°C = 1.8°F) of warming, including, for example:
• 5-10% changes in precipitation across many regions.
• 3-10% increases in the amount of rain falling during the heaviest precipitation events.
• 5-10% changes in streamflow across many river basins.
• 15% decreases in the annually averaged extent of sea ice across the Arctic Ocean,
with 25% decreases in the yearly minimum extent in September.
• 5-15% reductions in the yields of crops as currently grown.
Other effects of varying levels of warming include:
• Increases in the number of exceptionally warm summers (i.e., 9 of 10 boreal summers
that are "exceptionally warm" in nearly all land areas for about 3°C of global warm-
ing, and every summer "exceptionally warm" in nearly all land areas for about 4°C,
where an "exceptionally warm" summer is defined as one that is warmer than all but
about one of the 20 summers in the last decades of the 20th century).
• 200-400% increases in the area burned by wildfire in parts of the western United
States for 1-2°C.
• Increased coral bleaching and net erosion of coral reefs due to warming and
changes in ocean acidity (pH) for carbon dioxide (C02) levels corresponding to about
1.5-3°C.
• Sea level rise in the range of 0.5 to 1.0 meters in 2100, in a scenario corresponding to
about 3°C (plus or minus 1°C), with an associated increase in the number of people at
risk from coastal flooding, as well as wetland and dryland losses.
Furthermore, the report underscores the point that "adaptation" is not a one-time event.
Rather, we have entered an era of long-term continual change that must be considered by
decision-makers to inform ongoing adaptation strategies. The NWP intends to continue to
monitor developments in climate change and water science, including new science efforts
to support and inform adaptation strategies. Notably, the USGCRP is currently conducting its
third National Climate Assessment, scheduled to be final in 2013 (USGCRP, 2012). The NWP
intends to incorporate into programs and activities the results of that assessment as well as of
ongoing science and decision support products in the coming years.
www.epa.gov/water/climatechange Introduction 19
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
D. The Economics of Climate Change Actions
Many of the actions we could take to adapt to climate change are actions that provide value
independent of changing climate. Siting new water infrastructure in a coastal area at an
elevation that is resilient to storm surge in the face of sea level rise would be beneficial even
at current sea levels. Coastal wetlands are important resources for a variety of services, of
which protection from sea level rise and storm surge is only one component. Sources for
drinking water are already at risk; best management practices employed by water utilities and
solutions encouraging water conservation and efficiency to deal with climate change impacts
may also provide cost-effective relief from pressures caused by growing populations. In this
sense, adaptation practices can be no- or low-regret methods to manage risk in the face of
uncertainty regarding the pace and magnitude of climate change effects, provided they cost-
effectively address stressors in addition to the risks posed by climate change.
Quantifying the projected cost of climate change impacts with any degree of certainty is
difficult due to the complexity, variability, and uncertainty in the pace, magnitude, and locally
specific impacts of climate change. Likewise, it is hard to monetize the costs and benefits
associated with the wide range of mitigation and adaptation opportunities available to water
managers in the United States. Nevertheless, assigning a dollar value to actions and inactions
related to climate change not only helps society determine its preferred level of mitigation and
adaptation, but also provides a common unit of measure to compare among options, help-
ing decision-makers determine where and how to best implement mitigation and adaptation
practices. The EPA Guidelines for Preparing Economic Analyses (EPA, 2010b) recognizes the
complexity of environmental impacts more generally, while also explaining how valuation of
such impacts can benefit decision-making.
The NWP intends to monitor developments and work with partners within and outside of EPA
to explore ways to characterize costs and benefits to support climate change-related deci-
sion-making. A sample of these studies follows.4
• Kirshen et al. (2006) quantifies the climate change impacts on water quality, water
supply, and water demand, among other areas of impact, in the Boston region. For ex-
ample, they estimate capital costs to account for managing lower levels of dissolved
oxygen due to warmer waters to range between $30 and $39 million.
• Frederick and Schwarz (2000) look at the impact of increased flood damages and
drought on the United States due to climate change, and estimate that annual aver-
age flood damages may increase from $5 billion in 1995 to $8 billion in 2030 and $18
billion in 2095.
• Dore and Burton (2001) evaluate climate adaptation costs for a variety of actions in
Canada. They estimate that expanding wastewater treatment capacity in Toronto to
account for more intense precipitation and other impacts could range from $533 mil-
lion to $9 billion, depending on the level of risk the city is willing to accept.
4 This list is intended to be illustrative of recent published research. EPA is not endorsing any specific estimate.
20
Introduction
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Response to Climate Change
USGCRP's Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States (2009) highlights a wa-
ter resources adaptation decision. Boston's Deer Island sewage treatment plant was
built 1.9 feet higher to account for projected sea level rise during the facility's planned
life (through 2050) to avoid future costs to build a protective wall around the plant with
pumps to transport effluent over the wall.
Neuman et al. (2010), in an EPA-supported study, evaluated the costs of sea level rise
impacts to the contiguous U.S. coastline. The study found that the cost is much larger
than prior estimates suggest—more than $63 billion cumulative discounted cost (at
3%) for a 27-inch rise by 2100, which corresponds to $230 billion in undiscounted cost.
Workshop report: Valuation Techniques and Metrics for Climate Change Impacts, Ad-
aptation, and Mitigation Opf/o/7s(NCA2011).The goal of this workshop, convened by
the interagency National Climate Assessment Task Force, was to provide a snapshot
of the capabilities, readiness, and applicability of methodologies for quantitatively
valuing climate impacts and adaptation.
AWWA's recently released report. Buried No Longer, estimates that drinking water
infrastructure maintenance and replacement costs will be $1 trillion from 2011-2035
for the current level of service (i.e., the cost of building climate resilience into drinking
water infrastructure will be in addition to those maintenance and replacement costs).
www.epa.gov/water/climatechange
Introduction 21
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UNDER THE CLEAN WATER ACT, EPA and the states are directed to take a variety of
actions to control pollution from point and nonpoint sources in an effort to achieve the
Act's goal of attaining "water quality which provides for the protection and propaga-
tion of fish, shellfish, and wildlife and provides for recreation in and on the water." Under the
SDWA, EPA promulgates national primary drinking water regulations applicable to public
water systems to protect human health from drinking water contaminants. EPA's source water
protection efforts aim to protect abundant and clean drinking water supplies. However, as
climate change shifts hydrological patterns and increases variability outside of historic norms,
including frequency, severity, and duration of drought or extreme rain events, achieving these
goals will become more challenging.
A. Guiding Principles
To position the NWP as "Climate Ready," we will work with stakeholders and partners to
achieve our Vision. The NWP adopted the following 10 principles that inform the development
of the 2012 Strategy. These principles are consistent with, and reinforce, the principles pro-
mulgated by the ICCATF and reflect additional
principles specific to managing water resources.
1. Integrated Water Resources Manage-
ment (IWRM): Support collaboration
among state, interstate, local, tribal,
and federal governments and among
sectors to manage the quality and
quantity of sustainable water resourc-
es within watersheds and underlying
aquifers (IWRM is further discussed
below).
2. Adaptive Management: Decisions
about the future are made under some
conditions of uncertainty, and adap-
tive management provides a method
for building flexibility into policy and
decision-making to manage risk and to
allow for new knowledge input. Uncer-
Figure 4: Six-Step Approach to Climate
Change Adaptation Planning
What atf our goals? What 11 success?
WVut tuve we
learned?
-. Whjliichjng.ni!?
respond?
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ceq/lnteragen-
cy-Climate-Change-Adaptation-Progress-Report.pdf (CEQ, 2010)
V J
www.epa.gov/water/climatechange
Framework for a Climate Ready National Water Program 23
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
3.
tainty is not necessarily a reason to defer
decisions.
The Flexible Framework adopted by the
ICCATF (Figure 4) reflects both the evolu-
tion of climate science and the likelihood
that the uncertainty regarding the tim-
ing, nature, direction, and magnitude of
localized climate change impacts will
continue. Because investments such as for
construction of water infrastructure are
capital intensive, long-lived, and require
long lead times, building climate change
considerations into the design of these
investments is reasonable, even with some
degree of uncertainty in climate projec-
tions.
Collaborative Learning and Capacity De-
velopment: Collaborate with other federal
water agencies and state, interstate, tribal,
and local water agencies to contribute to
the development of long-range plans that
account for climate change impacts. Estab-
lish partnerships to assemble and develop
planning and decision support tools and
the underlying datasets for climate change
adaptation and mitigation.
I
Dealing With Uncertainty
Although we can glean clues about the likely
impacts of future climate change from recent
observations and research into Earth's past, the
picture is still incomplete and our predictions
are uncertain. Future climate change will
likely be fundamentally different from changes
Earth experienced in the past because of
the high temperatures that are projected,
the rate of climate change, and the fact that
climate change is occurring in a setting where
human actions have already altered natural
ecosystems in many other ways. Despite
uncertainties about what the future holds,
decisions can be made now. Strategies for
managing ecosystems in the future will need to
pay special attention to the issue of uncertainty.
It will be important to make decisions based
on the best currently available information,
and implement them in a way that preserves
the ability to make adjustments in the future as
more information becomes available.
Ecological Impacts of Climate Change, [NRC, 2009]
4. Long Term Planning (i.e., multi-decadal time horizon): Look ahead and consider ways
to reduce risk over time when making adaptation decisions. Incorporate concepts of
sustainability and non-stationarity (i.e., continual change in the hydroclimatic system
outside of assumed norms) into the implementation of water programs.
5. Energy-Water Nexus: Saving water saves energy and vice versa. Adaptation and
mitigation go hand-in-hand, and opportunities for both should be considered whenever
possible. Managing the "water/energy nexus" will protect the aquatic environment
while preserving freshwater resources for human uses and the economy. EPA devel-
oped a set of principles to promote these concepts to water managers and the general
public (Figure 5), which are described in more detail in Appendix A.
6. Systems & Portfolio Approach: Design integrated and resilient solutions that address
the inter-relationships among environmental, public health, social, and economic
aspects of a climate change impact and that avoid unintended consequences. Incor-
porate diversification that includes contingency plans (emergency preparedness and
response) to be implemented should adaptation actions under-perform.
24
Framework for a Climate Ready National Water Program
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Response to Climate Change
Figure 5: Principles for an Energy Water Future: The Foundation
for a Sustainable America (See Appendix A for full description)
http://water.epa.gov/action/energywater.cfm
• Efficiency in the use of energy and water should form the foundation of how we
develop, distribute, recover, and use energy and water.
• The exploration, production, transmission and use of energy should have the smallest
impact on water resources as possible, in terms of water quality and water quantity.
• The pumping, treating, distribution, use, collection, reuse and ultimate disposal of
water should have the smallest impact on energy resources as possible.
• Wastewater treatment facilities, which treat human and animal waste, should be
viewed as renewable resource recovery facilities that produce clean water, recover
energy, and generate nutrients.
• The water and energy sectors—governments, utilities, manufacturers, and
consumers—should move toward integrated energy and water management from
source, production, and generation to end user.
• Maximize comprehensive, societal benefits.
7. Cost of Inaction: Understand the risk of inaction and its cost (i.e., the value at risk) com-
pared to the cost of proactively adapting to projected climate change impacts. Support
decision-making and express tradeoffs in terms of costs and benefits (quantified and
non-quantified short- and long-term risks), as well as between action and inaction.
8. Environmental Justice: Account for the most vulnerable by assuring that our plans
and programs consider the needs of those with a higher degree of vulnerability
(e.g., children, economically disadvantaged communities, tribes, islands).
9. Performance Evaluation: Set clear goals against which to assess performance, and
guide adaptation and refinement of program planning, policy design, and implementa-
tion. Include numeric targets where appropriate.
10. Mainstreaming Climate Change into Core Programs: As experience is gained and
tools are developed, integrate climate change mitigation and adaptation into the
NWP. Ultimately, we would no longer need a "climate change" strategy; rather,
climate change would be integrated into the planning and management of our core
water programs.
B. Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)
Because surface water and ground water flows across political jurisdictions, state and local
government actions that are coordinated throughout watersheds and across the underlying
aquifers can more successfully protect and preserve these resources than disparate actions
taken piecemeal. Watershed and aquifer boundaries are the optimal organizing principle for
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Framework for a Climate Ready National Water Program 25
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
state, interstate, tribal, and local management
of fresh water to ensure these resources remain
abundant and clean across the nation for current
and future generations.
IWRM is a framework to holistically address cur-
rent water resource issues and emerging climate
change complications, such as increasing inci-
dence of flood and drought. There are several
definitions of this term, but for the purpose of this
strategy, the NWP uses IWRM to describe op-
portunities for state, interstate, tribal, and local
officials to voluntarily collaborate at watershed or
aquifer scales, with support from federal agen-
cies, to protect and preserve freshwater resources
through mutually beneficial solutions. IWRM calls
for intersector planning (e.g., between the energy,
water, and agricultural sectors) to sustainably man-
age water resources. A shorthand way to think of
IWRM is "one water." To be most effective, IWRM
should take into account water quantity and quality,
surface water and ground water, salinity of coastal
estuaries, land use, floodplain management, point
and nonpoint sources of pollution, green and grey
infrastructure, and climate change adaptation and
mitigation (EPA-R9 2011).
Strategic actions described throughout this document point to NWP efforts to work with other
federal, state, interstate, and tribal agencies and other stakeholders in assembling informa-
tion on the hydrologic relationships between surface water and ground water, and between
water quality and quantity; developing planning support tools for water resource managers
to address climate change adaptation; and building public understanding of the interaction be-
tween water use and the quality and sustainability of ground water and surface water.
Case Study: IWRM in California
In 2002, the Californian legislature passed the
Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM)
Act and established IRWM as the framework for
collaborative planning for all aspects of water
resources in a region (IRWM is an example of
IWRM). Between 2002 and 2006, California voters
passed three Water Bonds authorizing $1.8 billion
to fund competitive grants for IRWM planning
and implementation. The California Department
of Water Resources established guidelines for
Regions to consider as they each developed
their own coordination, planning and decision-
making processes. Thus far, California has 46
active IRWM regions, covering 82% of the State.
In 2011, EPA Region 9 worked with California
to develop a technical guide for incorporating
climate change into IRWM planning (CA, 2011a).
For more information on California's program,
see: www.water.ca.gov/irwm/docs/Brochures/
Brochure_IRWM_020410.pdf
The NWP intends to seek opportunities to integrate
IWRM into national and regional activities and
coordinate with other federal, state, interstate,
tribal, and local agencies as well as with nongov-
ernmental and private sector stakeholders to sup-
port IWRM at hydrologic scales.
IWRM is a voluntary collaboration of state,
interstate, local, and tribal governments,
and economic sectors, supported byfederal
agencies to sustainably manage the quality and
quantity of water resources within watersheds
and underlying aquifers.
26
Framework for a Climate Ready National Water Program
www.epa.gov/water/climatechange
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THE NATIONAL WATER PROGRAM'S over-arching vision is:
Despite the ongoing effects of climate change, the National Water Program intends to
continue to achieve its mission to protect and restore our waters so that that drink-
ing water is safe; and aquatic ecosystems sustain fish, plants and wildlife, as well as
economic, recreational, and subsistence activities.
To that end, the NWP Climate Change Workgroup identified five key programmatic areas in
which to apply the principles articulated above. This chapter then, is divided into five sections,
each of which is organized using a three-tier framework: Vision, Goals, and Strategic Actions.
Each section articulates a Vision, for which EPA may be only one of many actors. EPA intends
to work collaboratively with other federal, state, interstate, tribal, and local entities to achieve
each Vision.
For each Vision, we identify Goals that also reflect a long-term timeframe. The Goals articulate
EPA's mission and role in achieving each Vision, and describe whatwe are trying to achieve.
Each Goal entails several Strategic Actions, which are the program building blocks to achieve
the Goal. The Strategic Actions describe ftoi/i/the NWP intends to work over the next three to
eightyears in pursuit of our longer term Goals and Visions.
EPA intends to incorporate annual objectives into the Agency's annual budget and planning
process and reflect the availability of resources and priorities. We intend to describe progress
toward achieving Goals and Strategic Actions in annual reports (see the section on Tracking
Progress and Measuring Outcomes in Chapter VI).
It is important to underscore that neither this 2012 Strategy nor its Visions, Goals, or Strategic
Actions, impose any requirements on state, tribal, or local water programs, nor do they estab-
lish any regulatory obligations on permittees or others. Rather, the 2012 Strategy provides a
comprehensive discussion of how the NWP intends, over the long term, to incorporate climate
change considerations into its day-to-day activities, as appropriate and consistent with ap-
plicable statutory and regulatory authority, and in accordance with best available science and
information. This document identifies areas in which the NWP intends to work with stakehold-
ers and partners to account for and respond to the potential and actual impacts of climate
change.
www.epa.gov/water/climatechange
Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions 27
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
The five sections of this chapter are:
A. Infrastructure - including centralized or decentralized technologies and practices
for wastewater, drinking water, and stormwater management infrastructure; Climate
Ready Water Utilities; energy use and co-generation; and water supply and demand
management.
B. Watersheds and Wetlands - including landscape strategies to protect and restore
watersheds, source water areas (including ground water), and wetlands; natural
infrastructure; and low impact development (LID).
C. Coastal and Ocean Waters - including programs for coastal wetlands and estuar-
ies; Climate Ready Estuaries (CRE); issues associated with coastal infrastructure and
coastal drinking water (e.g., sea level rise, saline intrusion); and ocean water quality,
ocean habitats, and marine life.
D. Water Quality-including policies and programs to protect human health and eco-
logical integrity (e.g.. Water Quality Standards [WQS], Total Maximum Daily Loads
[TMDLs], National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System [NPDES] permits, green
infrastructure (Gl) for stormwater management, and underground injection control
[UIC], wellhead protection).
E. Working With Tribes - including how the NWP intends to use "traditional knowl-
edge" to help guide this 2012 Strategy and long-term implementation of adaptation
measures.
A. Infrastructure
VISION: In the face of a changing climate, resilient and adaptable drinking water, waste-
water and stormwater utilities (i.e., the water utility sector) ensure clean and safe water to
protect the nation's public health and environment by making smart investment decisions
to improve the sustainability of their infrastruc- ^
ture and operations, and the communities they
serve, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions
through greater energy efficiency.
The viability of drinking water and wastewater
treatment and related infrastructure directly affects
the protection of public and ecosystem health.
Challenges driven by population growth, land-
use change, aging infrastructure, availability of
infrastructure funding, regulatory constraints, and
various water quality stressors are already driving
the water sector to take action. Climate change
adds another dimension that will complicate
these long-standing challenges for water sector
operators and public officials. This chapter
highlights how the NWP intends to continue
assisting the water sector in achieving public
"Because the perception that climate fluctuates
around a stationary mean is in conflict with
recently observed climate dynamics, decision
makers need an approach that is responsive to
changes in the likelihood of extreme outcomes
as well as changes in the "average" climate ...
Ratherthan managing the resource to maintain
its past condition and state, management may
need to take steps to protect the resource ...
or allow the resource to change as needed to
adapt to climate change ... In other words the
managers of these resources must work to
incorporate the impact of climate change in
their plans and operations."
National Research Council, 2010d
28 Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions
www.epa.gov/water/climatechange
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Response to Climate Change
health and ecosystem objectives in light of climate change and these other challenges. The
recently published Principles for an Energy Water Future (see Appendix A) underscores many of
the concepts in this section.
Goal 1: The NWP works with the water utility sector to build the body of information and
tools needed to incorporate climate change into planning and decision making to build the
sector's adaptive capacity, reduce greenhouse gases, and deliver drinking water and clean
water services.
This Goal highlights the objectives of the Climate Ready Water Utilities (CRWU) initiative to
work with drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities to advance their understanding
of climate science and adaptation options. Through the CRWU program, the NWP intends to
seek to expand the water sector's understanding of climate change risks and respond to the
recommendations of the Climate Ready Water Utilities: Final Fleport of the National Drinking
Water Advisory Council [ND\NhC, 2010]. EPA's Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water Infra-
structure Sustainability Policy[EP/\, 2010c] also encourages water sector utilities to incorpo-
rate climate change considerations into their planning and operations, and supports the work
of the CRWU initiative.
As recommended by the National Drinking Water Advisory Council (NDWAC) CRWU work-
ing group, climate change activities should be closely coordinated with other federal and
state agencies, water sector associations, nongovernmental organizations, and tribes. CRWU
activities also should be linked to other EPA programs, such as Climate Ready Estuaries (CRE)
and Effective Utility Management (EUM). The EUM initiative is a collaborative partnership
between EPA and major water sector associations and is based on a series of attributes of
effectively managed utilities, including consideration of climate impacts. By coordinating with
these and other programs, utilities can ensure that their climate change adaptation and miti-
gation approaches more readily address utility and community sustainability priorities through
utilitywide planning, ongoing asset management and infrastructure repair and replacement,
emergency response, and capacity development. Collaboration with the states through the
State Revolving Fund (SRF) and other finance programs can also facilitate the consideration of
climate change opportunities as states make infrastructure funding decisions.
Strategic Action 1: The CRWU program intends to work to improve access to vetted climate
data and hydrological science, modeling and assessment tools. This action reflects the
NWP's intent to incorporate climate change science and trend information into a major tool
by 2015.
Water utility officials are struggling with the number and volume of climate change studies
produced by federal and state agencies, water associations, universities, and others. Con-
current with utilities moving forward to address climate change challenges, there is a strong
need for continued investment in advancing the understanding of climate impacts and strate-
gies (NDWAC, 2010). The NWP intends to continue to work with federal and state partners
to improve access to hydrologic science and tools, such as trend and risk assessment tools,
downscaled climate modeling, and advanced planning support models and decision support
tools.
www.epa.gov/water/climatechange Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions 29
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
CRWU intends to refine its Climate Resilience Education and Awareness Tool (GREAT) to assist
water utilities with understanding potential climate change impacts and assess their risks.
GREAT allows a utility to analyze how various adaptation strategies may help reduce climate
risks, enabling them to prioritize the implementation of adaptation measures. CRWU also
intends to improve a searchable toolbox of resources that support all stages of the decision
process, from basic climate science through integration of mitigation and adaptation into long-
term planning (EPA, 2011c).
Figure 6: Water and Energy Nexus
Water and energy are intimately connected. Water is used by the power genera-
tion sector for cooling, and energy is used by the water sector for pumping,
treatment, and heating. Without energy there would be limited water distribution,
and without water, there would be limited energy production. Image credit: U.S.
Global Change Research Program (www.globalchange.gov).
Strategic Action 2: The NWP intends to
assist wastewater and drinking water
treatment plants to reduce their greenhouse
gas emissions and increase their long-term
sustainability. The NWP intends to leverage
programs such as effective utility manage-
ment, sustainable asset management, and
energy management, to encourage a com-
bination of energy efficiency, co-generation
and renewable energy resources.
About 80% of municipal water processing
and distribution costs are for electricity,
which comprises an estimated 3-4 % of na-
tional energy consumption; this percentage
ranges up to 13% when residential water
use is included (EPRI, 2002; EPA, 2011d). In
addition, the Water Environment Research
Foundation (WERF, 2010) reports that sew-
age typically contains 10 times the energy
required to treat it, presenting an opportunity for using it as an energy source (co-generation).
Becoming more energy efficient is a worthy goal for all water sector utilities and is an impor-
tant step in reducing greenhouse gases and helping insulate utilities from energy costs or
supply disruptions (Figure 6).
The NWP intends to continue encouraging water sector utilities to use its Energy Manage-
ment Guidebook (EPA, 2008a), which uses a management systems approach to reduce energy
use, along with other tools to develop sustainable energy management programs. As part of
this effort, EPA intends to encourage utilities to document benefits from adopting energy man-
agement programs, such as lowering greenhouse gas emissions and operating costs. EPA has
also developed a downloadable, Excel-based Energy Use Assessment Tool that can be used
by small- to medium-sized systems to conduct a utility bill and equipment analysis to assess
individual baseline energy use and costs (EPA, 2012b).
The NWP intends to continue to provide information on energy-efficient and co-generation
technologies in consultation with other federal agencies—principally the Department of En-
ergy (DOE)—and continue to collaborate with the EPA's Office of Air and Radiation and other
30 Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions
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Response to Climate Change
partners to improve existing tools (e.g., ENERGY STAR'S Portfolio Manager) and develop new
energy benchmarking and auditing tools.
Strategic Action 3: The NWP intends to work with the states and public water systems, par-
ticularly small water systems, to identify and plan for climate change challenges to drinking
water safety and to assist in meeting health based drinking water standards.
The NWP intends to continue working to enhance partnerships with states, interstates, tribes,
and others to improve water sector understanding of climate change adaptation options and
identify technical assistance activities to help water systems comply with National Primary
Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWRs) under changing climate conditions.
CRWU intends to focus in particular on developing tools for smaller systems. While larger utili-
ties tend to have the resources to engage technical experts for assistance with operations,
management, and decision support for climate change, smaller utilities have fewer resources.
Building capacity requires providing tools and assistance tailored to smaller utilities, including
tools that will prepare them to adapt to the changing climate. CRWU climate change adapta-
tion tools will augment the capacity development efforts of the EPA drinking water program to
address small system challenges affecting sustainability, compliance, and day-to-day opera-
tions. The NWP also intends to encourage partnerships between water systems to ensure
they are able to avoid disruptions and consistently provide safe drinking water to their cus-
tomers.
Strategic Action 4: The NWP intends to collaborate with partners to promote sustainable
design approaches to ensure the long-term sustainability of infrastructure and operations.
The NWP has completed Planning for Sustainability: A Handbook for Water and Wastewater
Utilities, which provides a series of steps to help utilities voluntarily incorporate sustainability
considerations into their planning. The Handbook focuses on key elements of planning, such
as aligning utility sustainability goals with other community sustainability priorities in areas
like housing and transportation; analyzing a range of infrastructure alternatives based on full
life cycle costs, including green and natural systems; and ensuring that a financial strategy,
including appropriate rate structures, is in place to fund, operate, maintain, and replace the
alternatives chosen. Energy efficiency and impacts associated with climate change can be
considered throughout the elements described in the handbook.
Recognizing that wastewater utilities are, in reality, resource recovery facilities, the NWP
intends to work with the Water Environment Federation (WEF) and other partners to sup-
port development of an energy sustainability "roadmap." This roadmap will describe a path
forward to help utilities conserve energy and become energy neutral over time. The NWP also
intends to work with WEF, National Association of Clean Water Agencies, and other partners
to increase public understanding of the value of biosolids as a renewable resource.
The NWP is also working with EPA's Office of Community Sustainability and three states (New
York, Maryland, and California) to identify actions that can be taken to integrate the principles
of the Housing and Urban Development-Department of Transportation-EPA Sustainable Com-
munities Partnership into their Clean Water SRF programs. Options these states are consider-
www.epa.gov/water/climatechange Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions 31
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
ing include changes to intended use plans, project priority systems, and other funding guid-
ance documents. Some of these changes could potentially provide incentives for projects that
are energy efficient (that also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions) and/or that potentially
reduce vulnerability to climate impacts. We intend to share information on the results of these
pilots with other state Clean Water and Drinking Water Programs.
GOAL 2: EPA programs support IWRM in the
water utility sector to sustainably man-
age water resources in the face of climate
change.
Federal and state water resource manage-
ment and protection agencies can en-
courage water sector utilities to establish
partnerships with each other and the private
sector (e.g., energy, agriculture) in the
context of an IWRM framework (referred to
as integrated water management in NDWAC,
2010). IWRM among water utilities and other
partners can increase community resilience
to climate change and expand opportunities
for watershed-wide adaptive actions. The
NWP, in consultation with other federal wa-
ter agencies, states, interstates, and tribes,
intends to consider how best to coordinate
assistance to support IWRM.
Water Reuse and Recycling:
Examples of Inter-utility IWRM in the
Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of
Southern California
Orange County, California, recycles 70 million
gallons per day (MGD) of sewage thru a $481
million treatment plant (NY Times, 2007) as
part of a Ground Water Replenishment System
(Orange County Water District, 2008).
The City of Hemet, California, in the Eastern
Municipal Water District provides recycled
water to supply public parks and golf courses
throughout the southland (Metropolitan Water
District of Southern California, 2008).
The Hill Canyon Water Treatment Plant (WTP)
releases recycled water for agricultural
irrigation under an exchange agreement
between Calleguas MWD and United Water
Conservation District (MWDSC, 2008).
The Thousand Oaks Tapia WTP supplies
recycled water to two MWDs for municipal and
agricultural irrigation (MWDSC, 2008).
Water supply management and water de-
mand management are IWRM practices to
consider, particularly where confidence in
the future reliability of water supply quality
or quantity is diminishing (e.g., in drought-
prone, high growth, or coastal communities).
The tools described below offer water sector
utilities a range of methods—and there may be others—to extend their water supplies.
Many of the activities under the strategic actions for this goal can also be considered "no
regrets" activities, in that they would provide benefits to utilities under current climate condi-
tions as well as any future changes in climate.
Strategic Action 5: The NWP intends to seek opportunities to better understand and promote
through technical assistance the use of water supply management strategies to increase
hydrologic, ecologic, public health, and economic benefit.
Water supply management can help communities build resilience when water supplies are
at risk. For example. Managed Aquifer Recharge can be used to store water in aquifers for
32 Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions
www.epa.gov/water/climatechange
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Response to Climate Change
later use, and complements reuse of reclaimed wastewater to extend use, water loss control
to preserve use of already treated water, and desalination to expand access to a useable
resource.
Managed Aquifer Recharge:The NWP intends to work to foster research on Managed Aquifer
Recharge practices that do not endanger underground sources of drinking water (USDWs).
For example. Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) is a process of storing water underground
for future use if the injection does not endanger underground sources of drinking water. ASR
is increasingly used where freshwater demand is beginning or projected to exceed supply,
and use of ASR is likely to increase in drought prone areas, particularly those affected by
climate change. When applied to stormwater, this practice can also reduce nonpoint source
pollution of our lakes, streams, and rivers. However, the infiltration or injection of stormwater
risks contamination of freshwater aquifers.
Reclamation and /?euse:The NWP intends to continue to encourage safe water reclamation
and reuse. A wastewater or stormwater utility could, for example, distribute reclaimed water
from a centralized treatment system for park irrigation or other uses, recognizing that addition-
al treatment would be required for some applications. Onsite residential reuse of gray water
for landscape vegetation reduces the volume of potable water delivered to the site and the
volume of wastewater discharged from the centralized wastewater treatment facility. Since
outdoor and non-potable water uses typically can account for more than half of all water use,
this technique offers significant potential to preserve freshwater resources as well as to re-
duce treatment costs and energy use (EPA, 2004), and can help address increased frequency,
severity, and duration of drought.
Water Loss Co/?fro/:The NWP intends to provide technical assistance to reduce water loss
from drinking water systems, building upon EPA's publication. Control and Mitigation of Drink-
ing Water Losses in Distribution Systems (EPA, 2010d). Much of the estimated 880,000 miles of
drinking water infrastructure in the United States has been in service for decades and can be
a significant source of water loss. The American Water Works Association (AWWA) estimated
in Distribution System Inventory, Integrity and Water Qualitythat there are close to 237,600
water line breaks per year in the United States, leading to about $2.8 billion lost in yearly rev-
enue (EPA, 2007).
Treated water that cannot be accounted for equates to lost revenue and requires more water
to be treated, which requires more energy and chemical use, which drives up operating costs.
A water loss control program improves infrastructure sustainability by reducing costs and
maintaining or increasing revenue. A report by the California Public Utilities Commission (CA,
2011 b) found after five years of research that repairing leaks in water distribution pipes offers
the highest energy savings from nine water-related strategies assessed. Water loss control
also protects public health by reducing potential distribution system entry points for patho-
gens (EPA, 2010c).
Desalination for Potable or Nonpotable Uses: Desalination to treat marine or brackish water
is becoming increasingly important in certain locations and circumstances. Several coastal
communities are piloting or using desalination plants to address increasing demand driven
www.epa.gov/water/climatechange Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions 33
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
Figure 7: Potential Water Supply Conflicts
by population growth or drought. These
practices are increasing for inland sources
for similar reasons or where water sources
have been depleted. However, desalina-
tion is energy intensive, and there may be
risks and costs associated with disposing of
waste brines from the treatment. The NWP
intends to monitor research developments
to understand where efforts may be needed
to ensure that the disposal of waste brines
do not endanger underground sources of
drinking water.
Strategic Action 6: The NWP intends to
seek opportunities to evaluate, and provide
technical assistance on, the use of water
demand management strategies to increase
hydrologic, ecologic, public health, and
economic benefits.
Water demand management reduces con-
sumption by providing information, tech-
nology, and incentives for consumers and
industry to use less water. Water demand
management calls for consumer education
about the full cost of water services. To be
sustainable, water utilities should be able to
price water to reflect the full cost of treat-
ment and delivery, as well as the cost of
protecting water supplies. (Figure 7)
Metering and Mefr/cs:The NWP intends to support the Water Workgroup of the ICCATF by
working with other federal water agencies to develop sector-specific water-use efficiency
metrics, and the NWP intends to continue seeking opportunities to assist water utilities in de-
veloping and deploying water metering technologies. Measuring water use enables develop-
ment of conservation pricing as well as metrics for water-use efficiency. Service-connection
metering informs customers about how much water they are using, and suppliers use meter-
ing to track water use and billing. It will also be of interest to see how the increasing use of
real-time customer water use information changes customer behavior as it relates to water
use.
Water Use Efficiency and WaterSense:\NaterSense is an EPA-sponsored voluntary partner-
ship to protect the future of our nation's water supply by bringing together local water utili-
ties and governments, product manufacturers, retailers, consumers, and other stakeholders
to decrease indoor and outdoor nonagricultural water use through more efficient products
and practices. WaterSense helps consumers make water-efficient choices and encourages
Indian Unteaid Natwe Entities
Water Supply Issue Areas
U nmel Rur.l W.ler Needi
CttiHet P6i»nl*1- Hatftni*
^H Conflict Pfll»n1,9|.. Suomnhil
| Conflict Pd»nn*l- Highty L**tp
USBR171
The map shows regions in the West where water supply conflicts are likely to
occur by 2025 based on a combination of factors, including population trends
and potential endangered species' needs for water. The red zones are where
the conflicts are most likely to occur. This analysis does not factor in the effects
of climate change, which is expected to exacerbate many of these already-
identified issues.
Image credit: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, 2005.
34 Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions
www.epa.gov/water/climatechange
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Response to Climate Change
innovation in manufacturing by standardizing
rigorous certification criteria that ensure product
efficiency, performance, and quality (EPA, 2011f).
These savings at the consumer level translate to
significant direct savings in operations and main-
tenance costs, and indirect savings in infrastruc-
ture replacement costs, for drinking water and
wastewater utilities. EPA intends to continue to
develop specifications for water-efficient prod-
ucts; encourage water efficiency in landscape
design, building operations, and codes; and educate
efficiency through its WaterSense program.
WaterSense has helped consumers save 287
billion gallons of water and $4.7 billion in water
and energy bills since 2006. By the end of 2011,
WaterSense had partnered with more than
2,400 organizations and professionals, and more
than 4,500 plumbing products had earned the
WaterSense label (EPA, 2011 e).
the public on the value of water use
:The funding for daily operation and maintenance and long-term capital invest-
ments for drinking water and wastewater systems is typically generated through user fees.
When measured as a percentage of household income, the United States pays less for water
and wastewater bills than other developed countries. Because of this, there is a perception
that water is readily available and water services are generally inexpensive. To meet our cur-
rent and future infrastructure needs, public education on water sector system operations and
costs, as well as private water conservation, is vital.
Pricing of water services should accurately reflect the true costs of providing high-quality
water and wastewater services to consumers in order to both operate and maintain infra-
structure and plan for upcoming repairs, rehabilitation, and replacement of that infrastructure.
Drinking water and wastewater utilities should be able to price water services to reflect these
costs, while also adjusting rates as needed to ensure that lower income communities can af-
ford water and wastewater services.
There is an extensive body of knowledge on pricing water services and helping consumers
learn about how pricing affects their community. EPA intends to continue to seek opportunities
to work with our utility and state partners in identifying revenue templates that provide suf-
ficient resources for infrastructure operations, maintenance, rehabilitation, and replacement,
and send the right market signals about water use.
Strategic Action 7: The NWP intends to work to increase cross-sector knowledge of water
supply climate challenges and develop watershed specific information to inform state, inter-
state, tribal, and local decision making.
It is important that state and local governments and their constituents understand the nature
and extent of the water challenges they face to make decisions to address them. The NWP
intends to work with federal and state science agencies and academia to develop location-
specific information about climate change impacts for different sectors in each watershed
and aquifer. For example, EPA is participating with other federal and state water agencies
and stakeholders in planning the Department of the Interior's (DOI's) National Water Census
as well as its l/l/aterSM4/?7~program to promote the efficient use of water (USBR, 2011). The
NWP intends to also expand its effort to collaborate with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
www.epa.gov/water/climatechange
Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions 35
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
as it fosters "collaborative relationships for a sustainable water resources future" (USAGE,
2010a), including development of a Federal Support Toolbox to provide a common data portal
to support IWRM (USAGE, 2010b).
B. Watersheds and Wetlands
VISION: Watersheds are protected, maintained and restored to provide climate resilience
and to preserve the ecological, social and economic benefits they provide; and the nation's
wetlands are maintained and improved using integrated approaches that recognize their
inherent value as well as their role in reducing the impacts of climate change.
Healthy watersheds and wetlands will be
critical to climate adaptation and mitigation.
This section addresses how EPA intends
to protect healthy watersheds, restore
impaired watersheds to enhance climate
resiliency, and preserve the important func-
tions and ecosystem services provided by
the nation's wetlands, especially in the face
of climate change.
Healthy watersheds and wetlands provide a
host of ecological services, including water
purification, ground water and surface flow
regulation, wildlife habitat, flood and surge
impact reduction, water temperature mod-
eration, erosion control, and stream bank
stabilization. In many cases, they also store
carbon and sequester other greenhouse
gases. These ecosystems already are threat-
ened with a number of stressors, and climate
change will exacerbate existing water quality
and ecosystem management issues.
Protecting waters and watersheds inher-
ently involves landscape-scale collabora-
tion involving state, tribal, federal, and local
partners. Such collaborations promote a
holistic, systems approach, enabling partners
to more cost-effectively reach shared goals
that increase ecosystem resilience to climate
change. In particular, the NWP intends to
work to implement the National Fish, Wildlife
and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy (FWP,
2011), which lists seven goals (see Table 1).
Table 1: Draft National Fish, Wildlife
and Plants Climate Adaptation
Strategy
Goals:
• Goal 1. Conserve and Connect Habitat
• Goal 2. Manage Species & Habitats
• Goal 3. Enhance Management Capacity
• Goal 4. Support Adaptive Management
• Goal 5. Increase Knowledge & Information
• Goal 6. Increase Awareness & Motivate Action
• Goal 7. Reduce Non-Climate Stressors
FWP, 2011. Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation
Workgroupwww.wildlifeadaptationstrategy.gov
"The once seemingly separable types of aquatic
ecosystems are, we now know, interrelated and
interdependent. We cannot expect to preserve the
remaining qualities of our water resources without
providing appropriate protection for the entire
resource." Tennessee Senator Howard Baker on the
importance of the Clean Water Act on the Senate
floor, 1977
"\ askthatyour marvelous natural resources be
handed on unimpaired to your posterity."
Theodore Roosevelt, Sacramento, CA 1903
36 Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions
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Response to Climate Change
Integrated Water Resources
Management
Successful adaptation and mitigation of climate
change impacts will require a coordinated
effort among all levels of government, tribes,
communities, nongovernmental groups,
scientific entities and the private sector - that
is, Integrated Water Resources Management.
These voluntary partnerships will be essential
to protecting and restoring watersheds,
wetlands and coastal areas."
—Nancy Stoner, Acting Assistant Administrator,
EPA Office of Water, 2011
The Goals and Strategic Actions in this section in
particular reflect EPA's intention to implement the
FWP Strategy.
GOAL 3: Identify, protect, and maintain a network
of healthy watersheds and supportive habitat
corridor networks across the country that provide
resilience to climate change.
EPA, in partnership with others, is embarking on
the Healthy Watersheds Initiative (HWI)to expand
its efforts to protect healthy aquatic ecosystems
using a strategic systems-based approach, pre-
vent them from becoming impaired, and acceler-
ate restoration (EPA, 2011g). This Initiative will
greatly enhance our ability to meet the full intent
and extent of the CWA 101(a) objective, "...to
restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and
biological integrity of the Nation's waters," and in doing so, will increase the climate resiliency
of aquatic ecosystems and their watersheds. This goal would be difficult to achieve without
working with our partners and their programs, such as the state-led National Fish Habitat
Action Plan, the watershed protection and restoration programs of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (USFWS), the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and the U.S. Forest Service
(USFS), the full suite of conservation programs administered by U.S. Department of Agricul-
ture, the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Water Smart Initiative, the Nature Conservancy's
Instream Flow and North America Freshwater Conservation Programs, the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, and others.
The Healthy Watersheds approach is an important component of IWRM. IWRM offers a more
holistic approach to water quality protection by addressing surface water and ground water
quality and quantity as one hydrologic system. As implementation of the Healthy Water-
sheds approach increases our understanding of some of these relationships (e.g., hydrologic
requirements of aquatic ecosystems), that knowledge will provide building blocks for the
foundation of IWRM.
Strategic Action 8: The NWP intends to develop a national framework for a network of
remaining healthy watersheds and aquatic ecosystems, including natural infrastructure for
habitat corridors, and intends to support state and tribal efforts.
A national framework includes indicators to assess, identify, and track healthy watersheds
and the success of protection measures. The NWP intends to support state and tribal efforts
to conduct statewide and tribal lands integrated healthy watersheds assessments that include
landscape condition (i.e., habitat corridor and floodplain connectivity and headwaters habitat
intactness); hydrology; fluvial geomorphologic processes; and aquatic biology, habitat, and
chemical condition. The NWP also intends to support state and tribal efforts to implement
programs aimed at protecting and maintaining healthy, resilient watersheds and habitat.
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Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions 37
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
The NWP intends to work with partners to develop and pilot watershed projects and manage-
ment practices that improve the resilience of healthy watersheds to climate change, includ-
ing the demonstration of methods that preserve and protect natural hydrology, intact active
river areas (TNC, 2008), aquatic habitat corridors, natural transport of sediment, and stream
geomorphology. The NWP intends to provide technical decision support to local and regional
planning commissions and governments for implementing programs to protect identified wa-
tersheds in the face of climate change, consistent with the IWRM objective of the ICCATF.
Strategic Action 9: The NWP intends to collaborate with federal and other partners who
focus on terrestrial ecosystems and hydrology to promote consideration of potential effects
of climate change on water quality and aquatic ecosystems.
Among the multitude of services derived from intact forests are protection of water resources
and sequestration of carbon. The NWP intends to continue collaborating with partner agen-
cies (including the ICCATF Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Workgroup) to support
their management objectives that maximize the adaptive capacity of ecosystems (e.g., through
the protection of biodiversity, functional forest groups, and keystone species, and protection
against invasive species) resulting in reduced vulnerability to disturbance and associated
impacts to aquatic ecosystem integrity. In particular, the NWP intends to actively support and
promote appropriate forest protection efforts, afforestation (new plantings) and reforestation
(replanting of deforested areas) of non-forest lands, and promote and explore partnerships
with working lands, land retirement, and forestry programs within other federal agencies such
as those administered by the USFS and USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service and
Farm Service Agency.
For example, to date, EPA has been working directly with USFS staff in the State and Private
Forestry program to promote the use of afforestation and reforestation as a component of Gl,
especially as it pertains to water quality protection and stormwater management. EPA has
already co-developed a draft manual describing engineered approaches to afforestation and
reforestation for stormwater management and has been working through the National Arbor
Day Foundation to disseminate this information to arborists, local and state forestry officials,
and tree planting volunteers. EPA intends to continue working with the USFS and partners
such as the National Arbor Day Foundation to support these types of outreach efforts and
broaden them to address the backlog of one million acres of national forests that the USFS has
identified as needing replanting.
EPA has also contributed funds to USFS staff working in the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program
Office in order to start up a Web-based forestry stewardship program targeting small land-
owners. A geo-referenced stewardship planning tool has been developed in partnership with
the Pinchot Institute and is operational for three mid-Atlantic States. The tool allows private
landowners to enter information characterizing landownership in order to obtain information
about available federal and state programs that encourage afforestation and reforestation
while providing economic benefits. Efforts are underway to expand the coverage of this tool
nationwide.
38 Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions
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Response to Climate Change
Strategic Action 10: The NWP intends to work to integrate protection of healthy watersheds
throughout the NWP core programs.
Strategies that build resilience to climate change include incorporating healthy watershed
protection priorities into states' continuing planning processes, promoting Gl for managing
stormwater, implementing the Section 404 wetlands compensatory mitigation rule, incorporat-
ing protection of healthy watersheds into funding and technical assistance programs, working
with tribes, and strengthening strategic partnerships throughout EPA and the federal govern-
ment, including smart growth strategies. EPA intends to encourage permitting authorities to
use stormwater permits, as appropriate, to increase watershed resilience; for example, where
increased use of Gl or reductions in impervious cover can both address water quality issues
and increase resilience to climate change. EPA intends to work with states to use the continu-
ing planning process to develop and implement healthy watershed protection and restoration
priorities.
Strategic Action 11: Increase public awareness of the role and importance of healthy water-
sheds in reducing the adverse impacts of climate change.
The critical ecological services watersheds and wetlands provide often go unrecognized by
the public. Raising public awareness of the importance of protecting healthy watersheds will
garner public support for actions needed to sustain these resources in the face of climate
change.
The NWP intends to develop and implement public outreach programs emphasizing the im-
portance of healthy watersheds, including the economic benefits of protecting and restoring
watersheds, wetlands, floodplains, and riparian areas. To build support for action, the NWP
intends to further articulate the climate-induced risks to aquatic ecosystems, and the associ-
ated need to enable ecosystem migration. (See for example EPA, 2011h.)
GOAL 4: Incorporate climate resilience into watershed restoration and floodplain manage-
ment.
Watershed restoration and a watershed approach to floodplain management focus on re-
establishing the composition, structure, pattern, and ecological processes of degraded or
altered aquatic and riparian ecosystems necessary to make them sustainable, resilient, and
healthy. Incorporating climate change factors into planning efforts will enable watershed
strategies to be successful over the long term.
Strategic Action 12: The NWP intends to consider a means of accounting for climate change
in EPA funded watershed restoration projects and encourage others funding restoration
projects to take climate change and resiliency into consideration.
In partnership with other federal, state, interstate, and local water sector actors, the NWP
intends to clarify and encourage implementation of existing investment flexibilities to support
investments in climate resiliency in watershed restoration approaches, source water protec-
tion, Gl, and joint partnerships, consistent with authorizing legislation. For example, CWA
Section 319(h) grants can be used to implement nonpoint source management projects to
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
protect and restore watersheds, including those that are vulnerable to changing land use and/
or climate change. The Section 319 grant guidance encourages partnering with other envi-
ronmental programs with shared goals to leverage funding and strategically target efforts to
maximize results. These partnerships are a key element to healthy watersheds protection and
have the potential to be effective in meeting common goals of watershed protection across
state and federal agencies.
Strategic Action 13: The NWP intends to work with federal, state, interstate, tribal, and local
partners to protect and restore the natural resources and functions of riverine and coastal
floodplains as a means of building resiliency and protecting water quality.
Floodplains are among the most valuable ecosystems to society, second only to estuaries.
Despite representing less than 2% of Earth's terrestrial land surface area, floodplains provide
approximately 25% of all terrestrial ecosystem service benefits (Opperman, 2010). Protect-
ing and restoring the natural resources and functions of floodplains will provide numerous
environmental as well as economic benefits, such as protecting water quality, enhancing
ground water recharge, and ensuring base flow of streams. Buffer areas also provide for
flood attenuation, allow potential shoreline and lateral stream movement, modulate water
level fluctuations, and minimize impacts on infrastructure. The NWP intends to encourage
sound floodplain management, including use of nonstructural measures such as Gl and LID,
and work with partners to enhance the use of buffers to reduce flood losses, protect riparian
ecosystems, improve water quality, and build resilience. The NWP intends to discourage use
of structural measures (e.g., stream channelization and levees) whenever possible.
GOAL 5: Watershed protection practices incorporate source water protection, and vice
versa, to protect and preserve drinking water supplies from the effects of climate change.
Protecting public health from contaminants in drinking water will require adapting to the
impacts of climate change, which poses multiple concerns for public water systems. Warmer
waters foster pathogen growth, testing the reliability of drinking water disinfection and poten-
tially increasing costs. Increased precipitation may result in additional pollutant loadings of
nutrients, pesticides, and other chemicals, further challenging drinking water treatment. Sea
level rise in coastal areas puts freshwater supplies for all uses, particularly drinking water,
at increasing risk. Saltwater intrusion into coastal aquifers is a problem in some areas where
ground water withdrawals are outstripping recharge; increased pressure head from a higher
sea level worsens this problem. As sea level rises, community drinking water intakes may end
up in brackish waters as the salt front migrates up coastal rivers and streams.
Strategic Action 14: The NWP intends to encourage states to consider updating their source
water delineations, assessments or protection plans to address anticipated climate change
impacts.
NWP program staff intend to continue working to assure that states include protecting
drinking water supplies (ground water and surface water) in watershed planning and protec-
tion programs. States should considerthe feasibility and value of periodically updating their
source water protection areas and protection plans in concert with state watershed plan
updates to address anticipated climate change impacts. EPA and its federal partners intend to
40 Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions www.epa.gov/water/climatechange
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Response to Climate Change
explore opportunities for providing technical assistance to states as they update their source
water delineations, assessments, and protection plans to address anticipated climate change
impacts.
Strategic Action 15: The NWP intends to continue to collaborate with stakeholders to in-
crease state and local awareness of source water protection needs and opportunities and
encourage inclusion of source water protection areas in local climate change adaptation
initiatives.
There are many players who influence the effectiveness of source water protection at the
national, state, interstate, tribal, and local levels, such as water science and regulatory agen-
cies, water sector utility operators, local decision-makers, and nongovernmental and private
sector stakeholders. Acting individually, they may affect aspects of source water protection
and preservation, but collaborating on the same watersheds and aquifers increases the po-
tential to protect and preserve those resources. The NWP intends to work to foster increased
collaboration to develop decision support tools to inform deliberations at the local and water-
shed or aquifer scale.
GOAL 6: EPA incorporates climate change considerations into its wetlands programs, includ-
ing the CWA 404 program, as appropriate.
Since 1989, the federal government as a whole has embraced a policy goal of no net loss of
wetlands under the CWA Section 404 regulatory program. In addition, the program operates
under a goal of a net increase in the quality and quantity of the nation's wetlands. EPA's Wet-
lands Program fosters effective wetlands management through strategic partnerships with
states, tribes, local governments, and other partners. Key to accomplishing these goals and
actions is a watershed approach to aquatic resource protection.
Section 404 of the CWA establishes a program to regulate the discharge of dredged or fill
material into waters of the United States, including wetlands. Activities in waters of the United
States typically regulated under this program include fill for development, water resource
projects (e.g., dams and levees), infrastructure development (e.g., highways and airports), and
mining projects. Section 404 requires either a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(USAGE) or an EPA-approved state program before dredged or fill material may be discharged
into waters of the United States.
One basic requirement of the CWA Section 404 permitting program, as implemented by 404(b)
(1) Guidelines, is that no discharge of dredged or fill material into wetlands maybe permitted
if a practicable alternative exists that is less damaging to the aquatic environment or if the na-
tion's waters would be significantly degraded. Significant degradation is broadly defined in the
404(b)(1) Guidelines to include individual or cumulative impacts to human health and welfare;
fish and wildlife; ecosystem diversity, productivity, and stability; and recreational, aesthetic, or
economic values.
Strategic Action 16: The NWP intends to consider the effects of climate change as appropri-
ate when making significant degradation determinations in the CWA Section 404 Wetlands
Permitting and Enforcement Programs.
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
In light of the growing concerns regarding the adverse effects of climate change and the rec-
ognition that protecting the nation's wetlands and other aquatic resources can help mitigate
these effects, EPA intends to coordinate with USAGE to better understand how climate change
may impact Section 404 sites and if/how the systematic consideration of climate change
impacts could be incorporated into decision processes (including minimization and compen-
satory mitigation practices) in a scientifically and legally defensible way. EPA's Section 404
permit review process also includes determining if there would be a "substantial and unac-
ceptable" impact to Aquatic Resources of National Importance (ARNI), as provided in Part
IV of the 1992 CWA Section 404(q) Memorandum of Agreement between EPA and the Depart-
ment of the Army, often called the elevation procedures. Criteria used for identifying an ARNI
could potentially consider the chemical, physical, and biological importance, in light of climate
change, of an aquatic resource proposed to be impacted. In partnership with USAGE, the
NWP also intends to consider how to incorporate the anticipated effects of climate change, as
appropriate, when determining whether impacts are "unacceptable" (e.g., where discharges
would result in harm to wetlands critical to storm surge reduction).
Strategic Action 17: The NWP intends to evaluate, in conjunction with relevant Federal
Agencies when applicable, including USDA, USFWS, and the USAGE, how wetland and
stream compensation projects could be selected, designed, and sited to aid in reducing the
effects of climate change.
Consistent with established regulatory policy, impacts must be compensated for "to the extent
appropriate and practicable" after they are avoided and minimized to the greatest extent
practicable. As an example, in order to offset permitted impacts, the Corps typically requires
between 40,000 and 50,000 acres of compensatory mitigation annually. This compensation
takes the form of restored, created, enhanced, and/or preserved complexes of wetlands
and streams. EPA, in conjunction with the Corps, intends to consider how these wetland and
stream compensation projects could be selected, designed, and sited to aid in reducing the
impacts of climate change, with a focus on analyzing climate change and associated rela-
tive sea level change for coastal mitigation projects. For example, certain types of wetland
mitigation projects might be encouraged in the future because of their scientifically assessed
relative carbon sequestration benefits or because siting mitigation projects in coastal zones
would facilitate wetland migration as sea level rises while also enhancing the natural lines of
defense ("resilience") of the coastline and community and creating public green space that
enhances the livability and sense of place of the community.
GOAL 7: EPA improves baseline information on wetland extent, condition, and performance to
inform effective adaptation to climate change.
Baseline information on the location, extent, and quality of wetlands and aquatic resources
will help to measure changes caused by climate change and other stressors. Ongoing moni-
toring will inform the development of predictive models and management strategies, including
for climate change adaptation.
Strategic Action 18: The NWP intends to expand wetland mapping by supporting wetland
mapping coalitions and training on use of the new Federal Wetland Mapping Standard.
42 Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions www.epa.gov/water/climatechange
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Response to Climate Change
While Agency conclusions should be informed by detailed, accurate data sources, the existing
National Wetland Inventory (NWI) mapping, managed by the USFWS, is a good initial guide
about potential wetlands in an area/watershed and is used extensively, including to address
the effects of climate change (e.g., modeling relative sea level rise). The NWI maps were
innovative when first produced, but additional work is now needed to update these maps to
make them current and to better satisfy the demands for sophisticated analysis that supports
effective environmental planning. Hardcopy maps are available for approximately 4/5 of the
nation, and approximately half of the NWI is available online for use in geographic information
system (CIS) applications. However, a significant portion of the arid Western United States has
not yet been mapped.
The modernized Wetlands Mapping Standard was developed by the interagency Federal
Geographic Data Committee (FGDC), in collaboration with representatives of federal agencies,
states, tribes, environmental organizations, and management associations, as well as local
government associations from both the wetlands and geospatial communities. The Wetland
Mapping Standard was developed to improve and standardize mapping data quality in order to
accelerate the rate at which the national wetlands mapping is completed and to enable real-
time updates of the national wetlands data layer in the future. Using the new Standard, other
groups, such as states, tribes, local governments, and nongovernmental organizations, are
able to collect and upload digitally mapped data to the NWI. EPA and other federal agencies
intend to train and support a range of organizations to complete the national map.
Strategic Action 19: The NWP intends to produce a statistically valid, ecological condition
assessment of the nation's wetlands.
The National Wetland Condition Assessment (NWCA) will be an integrated gauge of wetland
condition nationwide, summarizing the cumulative effects of federal, state, interstate, tribal,
and local government and private-party ac-
tions that either degrade wetlands or protect f
and restore their ecological condition. The
NWCA will be repeated at the national
scale every five years and will incorporate
those indicators that EPA identifies as most
meaningful to detecting and predicting the
impacts of climate change on the condition
of the nation's wetlands.
EPA worked closely with the USFWS Wet-
lands Status and Trends program to utilize
its network of analysis plots as the sampling
frame for the NWCA. When these efforts are
paired, we will for the first time be able to
measure progress toward the national goal
to increase the quantity and quality of the
nation's wetlands (Figure 8).
Figure 8: National Wetland Condition
Assessment Site Locations
Approx. 1,000 randomly selected wetland sites sampled in 2011. National Wetland
Condition Assessment, EPA, 2011n.
V
www.epa.gov/water/climatechange
Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions 43
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
Wetland quality or condition speaks to how wetlands differ from their "natural" state, provid-
ing an assessment of the overall ecological integrity of the resource and the relative status of
wetland processes, such as the ability of a wetland to absorb nutrients. In addition, the NWCA
will identify the stressors most associated with degraded wetland condition because they
provide insights into the causes of declining wetland quality.
"Wetlands are inextricably tied to water levels
and changes in climatic conditions affecting water
availability will greatly influence the nature and
function of specific wetlands, including the type of
plant and animal species within them."
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, announcing
availability of the new wetland mapping standard.
August 18,2009
Strategic Action 20: The NWP intends to
work with partners and stakeholders to
develop information and tools to support
long term planning and priority setting for
wetland restoration projects.
Wetlands have the potential to provide add-
ed benefits for climate change adaptation
as well the potential to store and sequester
carbon. The NWP intends to work with
partners and stakeholders to share evolving
information and tools to encourage consideration of climate change in long term planning and
priority setting for wetlands management strategies and sustainable restoration projects.
C. Coastal and Ocean Waters
VISION: Adverse effects of climate change along with collective stressors and unintended
adverse consequences of responses to climate change have been successfully prevented
or reduced in the ocean and coastal environment. Federal, tribal, state, and local agencies,
organizations, and institutions are working cooperatively; and information necessary to
integrate climate change considerations into ocean and coastal management is produced,
readily available, and used.
Coastal and ocean environments are inextricably linked, both spatially and ecologically. This
section borrows the concept of the "baseline" (a legal demarcation of ordinary low tide levels
that also crosses river mouths, the opening of bays, and along the outer points of complex
coastlines) to facilitate the discussion of strategies that may be more applicable to coastal
environments (which we loosely define as being on the landward side of the baseline) or
ocean environments (seaward of the baseline). The baseline may affect climate change strat-
egies because of its jurisdictional implications relevant to governmental authority. However,
although the terms "coastal" and "ocean" are used primarily to organize this discussion, we
recognize that those domains grade into each other and that some strategies may be appro-
priate on both sides of the baseline.
As in other regions, coastal areas will face challenges to wetlands, watersheds, infrastruc-
ture, water quality, and drinking water. Some coastal problems, such as nonpoint source pollu-
tion and changing precipitation patterns, have the same causes and effects that are found in
inland places.
44 Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions
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Response to Climate Change
Fi9
tire 9: Sea Level Rise
However, the ocean and coasts will experience unique impacts that the rest of the terrestrial
United States will not. Sea level rise is already a multi-faceted problem that is worsening
(Figure 9). Coastal wetlands and other estuarine habitats are being inundated or eroded, and
many will not be able to sustain themselves as sea levels continue to rise. The potential for
ocean acidification to damage the marine food chain, shellfish, and coral is another issue unique
to the coastal and ocean environment. Coastal regions will also experience saltwater intrusion
into ground water aquifers, the threats of rising seas to drinking water and wastewater infra-
structure, and the effects of varying stream flow on estuarine salinity and ecology.
Scientific research over the last 10 years indicates that the adverse implications of ocean
acidification (OA) for ocean and coastal marine
ecosystems are potentially very serious
because the ocean has a large capacity to
absorb C02 from the atmosphere, and thus
the resulting lowered pH levels in ocean
waters can have serious cascading effects.
In its 2010 report, "Ocean Acidification: A
National Strategy to Meet the Challenges of
a Changing 0cea/?,"the NRC (NRC, 201 Of)
concludes that ocean chemistry is changing
at an unprecedented rate and magnitude d! -100-
due to human-made C02 emissions, and that
there will be "ecological winners and los-
ers." The report also states that "while the
ultimate consequences are still unknown,
there is a risk of ecosystem changes that
threaten coral reefs, fisheries, protected
species, and other natural resources of
value to society".
100
so
H
400
IBM
1WC-
year
1WO
u
Annual, global mean sea level as determined by records of tide gauges (red and
blue curves) and satellite altimetry (black curve) (NRC 2010c).
Climate change impacts will in some respects be one more stressor that EPA's partners and
programs will try to absorb or accommodate into their practices and portfolios. It will be
important for EPA and the NWPto avert or resolve as many of the foreseeable climate adapta-
tion problems as possible, while also preventing harm from responses to climate change that
inadvertently increase vulnerability rather than reducing it.
However, in some parts of the country, such as parts of the Pacific Northwest, sea level rise
is offset by coastal uplift. Such relative sea level decreases can offset absolute sea level rise
and present benefits that enhance wetland preservation in coastal zones.
How others respond to the inevitable climate change impacts on coastal and ocean waters
will have a large impact on EPA's ability to achieve or fulfill its mission. EPA intends to cooper-
ate with other interested parties and work to enhance the adaptive capacity of our partners
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Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions 45
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
to effectively meet the coming 21st century environmental tests. We intend to work in close
concert with local, state, tribal, and regional organizations and other federal partners through
the wide range of existing programs and partnerships like the National Estuary Program (NEP),
Large Aquatic Ecosystems (LAE), Great Waterbodies, and regional ocean groups. Working
cooperatively with Canada and Mexico will also be critical if we are to be successful in near
ocean environments.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Table 2: National Ocean Policy
Implementation Plan Key Elements
(NOC, 2011)
Ecosystem-based Management
Inform Decisions and Improve Understanding
Observations, Mapping, and Infrastructure
Coordinate and Support
Regional Ecosystem Protection and Restoration
Resiliency and Adaptation to Climate Change
and Ocean Acidification
Water Quality and Sustainable Practices on
Land
Changing Conditions in the Arctic
Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning
Similarly, the NOC has drafted an Imple-
mentation Plan for a new, comprehensive
National Ocean Policy established by Ex-
ecutive Order 13547 on "Stewardship of the
Ocean, Our Coasts, and the Great Lakes."
Following extensive stakeholder and expert
input, the Plan is nearing completion in
2012. It describes a framework for federal
agencies to work together to pursue com-
mon marine stewardship goals with cohe-
sive actions, and to engage state, tribal,
and local authorities; regional governance
structures; nongovernmental organizations;
the public; and the private sector. Table
2 lists the National Ocean Policy's nine
priorities, which include Resiliency and
Adaptation to Climate Change and Ocean
Acidification. Upon release, the Implemen-
tation Plan will identify specific Actions and
milestones for each priority, in addition to
naming the federal agencies supporting those commitments. The Goals and Strategic Actions
in this section reflect some of EPA's intent to implement actions under Element 6, Resiliency
and Adaptation to Climate Change and Ocean Acidification, as well as other parts of the plan.
GOAL 8: The NWP works collaboratively with partners so that the information and method-
ologies necessary to address climate change in ocean and coastal areas are collected or
produced, analyzed or formatted, promoted, and easily available.
Protecting coastal and ocean environments from the adverse impacts of climate change will
depend on policymakers and managers having the relevant information to make effective de-
cisions. As the problems of climate change emerge and multiply, the need for knowledge will
become even more pressing. Further, the NWP and our partners will need to know where to
find the necessary information and tools. Agencies cannot afford to duplicate efforts and will
need to work together to improve efficiency and leverage limited resources.
Strategic Action 21: To protect ocean and coastal areas, the NWP intends to collaborate
within EPA and with other federal, tribal, and state agencies to ensure that synergy occurs
whenever possible, lessons learned are transferred, federal efforts effectively help local
communities and are not duplicative or working at cross-purposes.
46 Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions
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Response to Climate Change
Integrated Water Resources
Management
As changing climates affect the decisions of
water supply managers, coastal issues will be
one more consideration. Managers are already
balancing competing demands for in-stream
ecological functions, water supply in reservoirs,
water supply for downstream users, and power
generation. Flows passing downstream have an
effect on sediment delivery to coastal systems,
the salinity structure of coastal estuaries, and
how far upstream the salt front can push.
The management of coastal waters can benefit
from an IWRM perspective. Issues may arise,
for example, due to diversion of fresh surface
waterto recharge coastal aquifers, reducing
flows needed for healthy coastal estuarues.
Similarly, the disposal of residual brines where
desalination is implemented to provide fresh
water will also need attention.
Ensuring that lessons learned are transferred
among the many partner federal agencies will
maximize the utility and accessibility of new
information and methodologies needed by tribal,
state, and local communities to effectively pre-
pare for climate change impacts.
Some federal agencies have already formal-
ized cooperative mechanisms through written
agreements. For example, EPA and NOAA have
signed a Memorandum of Agreement to work
together on climate adaptation, resilience, and
smart growth efforts. In the New England region,
a "Statement of Common Purpose" exists among
federal agencies working together on climate
change adaptation and mitigation and coastal
and marine spatial planning. Similar agreements
to coordinate with other federal agencies in the
coastal zone, such as many DOI agencies (e.g.,
USGS, National Park Service, USFWS, Bureau of
Ocean Energy Management), the Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency (FEMA), USAGE,
DOT, and USDA (among others), would also be
helpful.
Strategic Action 22: The NWP intends to work within EPA and with the U.S. Global Change
Research Program and other federal, tribal, and state agencies to collect, produce, analyze,
and format knowledge and information needed to protect ocean and coastal areas and make
it easily available.
The NWP intends to work within EPA; with the USGCRP; and with other federal, tribal, and
state agencies to produce relevant knowledge and information that informs decision-making,
and to make it available in user-friendly formats through compendiums, websites, and clear-
inghouses. Information needed that is specific to coastal and ocean planning includes:
• Projections of relative sea level change at finer scales, including Light Detection and
Ranging (LIDAR) land elevations.
• Information on ocean acidification and warming.
• Monitoring of environmental effects and system thresholds specific to the coastal
and marine environments.
• Improvements in the ability to quantify real reductions of C02 due to salt marsh and
coastal restoration.
EPA intends to continue to share similar information through portals such as ocean.data.
gov and federal climate clearinghouses, such as the one under development by the USGCRP.
www.epa.gov/water/climatechange
Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions 47
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
Please also see Strategic Action 44: Monitor climate change impacts to surface waters and
ground water.
GOAL 9: Support and build networks of local, tribal, state, regional and federal collaboration
partners that are knowledgeable about climate change effects and take effective adaptation
measures for coastal and ocean environments through
EPA's geographically targeted programs.
EPA's Large Aquatic
Ecosystem Programs
Chesapeake Bay Program
Columbia River Basin
Great Lakes
Gulf of Mexico Program
Lake Champlain Basin Program
Long Island Sound Study
Pacific Islands Office
Puget Sound—Georgia Basin
San Francisco Bay Delta Estuary
South Florida Geographic Initiative
A primary role of the federal government will be to work
within our existing networks to build adaptive capacity at
the regional, state, tribal, and local levels.
Strategic Action 23: The NWP intends to work with the
NWP's larger geographic programs to incorporate climate
change considerations focusing on both the natural and
built environments.
Geographically based programs in which EPA participates
include 10 large aquatic ecosystems. Regional Ocean
Partnerships, and regional planning bodies established
underthe National Ocean Council. The NWP intends to
work to provide these key geographic programs with tools
necessary to consider climate change effects in their
plans and programs. EPA regional and geographic program
offices and the Council of LAEs all intend to play key roles
addressing climate change impacts to both the natural and built environments when making
policies or decisions, and intend to work to ensure that best practices and lessons learned
from local projects are widely shared.
The NWP intends to continue working with Regional Ocean
Partnerships that undertake planning for resiliency. Accord-
ing to the Coastal States Organization's website," [t]here
is an ever-growing recognition that multi-state, regional
approaches are one of the most effective and efficient ways
to address many of our ocean and coastal management
challenges. To meet these challenges, governors around
the country have voluntarily established Regional Ocean
Partnerships and are working in collaboration with federal
agencies, tribes, local governments, and nongovernmental
and private sector stakeholders to identify shared priori-
ties and coordinate ocean and coastal management on a
regional basis. While each partnership is unique in terms of
its region's issues and concerns, they all share a desire for
more effective management of ocean and coastal resourc-
es. This includes balancing ecological and economic needs.
Regional Ocean and Great
Lakes Partnerships
• Great Lakes Regional
Collaboration
Governors' South Atlantic Alliance
• Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA)
• Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on
the Ocean (MARCO)
Northeast Regional Ocean Council
(NROC)
• West Coast Governors'
Agreement on Ocean Health
48 Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions
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Response to Climate Change
and addressing climate change, through such approaches as ecosystem based management,
and coastal and marine spatial planning." [CSO, 2011]
The NWP intends to also collaborate with the NOC's Regional Planning Bodies established
under the National Ocean Policy's framework for effective Coastal and Marine Spatial Plan-
ning (CMSP) (see Executive Order 13547, Stewardship of the Ocean, Our Coasts, and the
Great Lakes). The regional planning bodies implement the framework for CMSP, leading to the
eventual development of regional, coastal, and marine spatial plans that will guide and inform
Agency decision-making under existing statutory authority. The NWP intends to inform the
CMSP process and the development of plans to implement two priority objectives: 1) Coastal
and Marine Spatial Planning (which is driven in some areas by the demand for offshore re-
newable energy development), and 2) Resiliency and Adaptation to Climate Change and Ocean
Acidification.
Strategic Action 24: Address climate change adaptation and build stakeholder capacity
when implementing NEP Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plans and through
the Climate Ready Estuaries Program. Each Program intends to build its stakeholders' adap-
tive capacity through funding, technical assistance, and coordination.
Figure 10: NEP Study Areas
The 28 NEPs around the country improve the
quality of estuaries of national significance
through community-based programs. NEPs
are strategically positioned to build the
adaptive capacity of stakeholders because
they work directly with and within communi-
ties. In fact, many of the NEPs have specific
goals in their Comprehensive Conservation
and Management Plans (CCMPs) addressing
climate change adaptation (Figure 10).
The Climate Ready Estuaries (CRE) program,
which is jointly administered by EPA's Office
of Water and Office of Air and Radiation,
provides funding or direct technical as-
sistance to help NEPs complete climate
change vulnerability assessments and to
build their adaptive capacity to respond to
climate change. CRE intends to continue to expand its information and guidance offerings
and to develop and share the lessons learned from its sponsored projects. Incorporating CRE
tools and methods into the NEP base programs by mainstreaming climate change adaptation
into planning documents (e.g., CCMP or annual work plans) is expected to ensure that climate
change is considered by all NEPs, and helps to prepare communities to respond to climate
change impacts. Many other organizations also manage coastal and ocean resources in or
near NEP watersheds, so CRE intends to work collaboratively with other EPA programs (e.g.,
CRWU), federal agencies (e.g., NOAA's National Estuarine Research Reserves and Sea Grant,
http://water.epa.gov/type/oceb/nep/index.cf
www.epa.gov/water/climatechange
Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions 49
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
USDA's conservation planning activities), land trusts, and other nonprofit coastal organizations
to build mutually supportive networks.
Strategic Action 25: The NWP intends to conduct outreach and education, and provide
technical assistance to state and local watershed organizations and communities to build
adaptive capacity in coastal areas outside the NEP and LAE programs.
All coastal areas, including regions outside NEP and LAE watersheds, should build their adap-
tive capacity to reduce adverse effects of climate change. The NWP can support the work of
states and local watershed organizations by providing technical assistance or educational
support that leverages the work of EPA's CRE and other geographic programs and partner-
ships. Communication will also help minimize the selection of responses to climate change
that may work at cross-purposes, or have unintended adverse consequences.
GOAL 10: The NWP addresses climate driven environmental changes in coastal areas and
provides that mitigation and adaptation responses to climate change are conducted in an
environmentally responsible manner.
Impacts of climate change have greater consequences in coastal areas because so much
of the country's population and economic infrastructure are located in those areas. Coastal
areas will see greater demand for storm protection and erosion control. Strategies are needed
to protect and enhance the natural environment while working toward a sustainable built
environment that is prepared for climate impacts.
Coastal waters have the same potential problems with invasive species and water quality that
all waters and watersheds have, in addition to marine-specific challenges such as ballast
water discharges from commercial shipping. Changing precipitation patterns will affect runoff,
nonpoint source pollution, and combined sewer systems, and warmer waters may foster
increases in algal blooms and hypoxic conditions, decreasing the quality of waters for recre-
ational uses such as swimming and other water sports that are extremely important in coastal
areas. Warmer water will also likely worsen the already increasing occurrences of harmful
algal blooms and other aspects of water quality, including the expansion in the range of many
invasive species already present in U.S. waters, such as zebra mussels. Increasing tempera-
tures in water bodies such as Lake Superior may allow organisms that have established in the
other four Great Lakes to more easily establish in Superior's waters. Water bodies that were
previously not receptive to invasion by many transoceanic invaders may become more habit-
able to those organisms.
Coastal wetlands, like all wetlands, are dependent on suitable hydrologic conditions. Climate
change will severely challenge the resilience of coastal wetlands. Altered salinity from sea
level rise and changing hydrometeorology will threaten coastal ecology. Geologic history and
geomorphic research suggest that coastal wetlands will have a very hard time surviving at ac-
celerated rates of sea level rise. Where salt marshes have limited sediment supplies, they will
probably not be able to accrete enough material to stay above rising water level. As the inter-
tidal zone shifts upward and landward, the area that can sustain salt marshes will shrink—in
places where topography, coastal development, or insular layout prevents ecosystem shifts,
marshes may disappear entirely. Some salt marshes may be able to become established
50 Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions www.epa.gov/water/climatechange
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Response to Climate Change
Figure 11: Infrastructure Risk from Sea level Rise
0 26 60
100
150
200
— Intervales bplcw * faeS
— Other highway* beXsw 4 (eel
— Rivera
I Slates
Image credit: U.S. Global Change Research Program (www.globalchange.gov).
CCSP SAP * I™
upstream as the salinity changes; however, they are likely
to replace freshwater tidal marshes, not to establish new
wetland habitats. Both freshwater and salt marshes also
are subject to changing temperature and precipitation
that may affect the ability of existing species to continue
to thrive.
Sea grasses are another very important aquatic resource
that is vulnerable to climate change. Sea grass beds serve
as critical habitat for juvenile life stages of many marine
species. Most sea grass species live in a narrow strip
of shallow coastal water and are extremely sensitive to
changes in water clarity that control how much sunlight
they receive. Warmer water, increased water depth, and
turbidity from soil erosion caused by extreme precipitation
and other storm events can all reduce water clarity and
adversely impact the survival of sea grasses.
Strategic Action 26: The NWP intends to work collaboratively to support coastal wastewa-
ter, stormwater and drinking water infrastructure owners and operators in reducing climate
risks and will encourage adaptation in coastal areas.
Impacts of climate change will threaten all types of coastal infrastructure, but the water
sector is particularly at risk. Sea level rise and coastal subsidence, storms and storm surge,
flooding and coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion into coastal aquifers, and increasing water
temperatures all threaten wastewater and drinking water treatment facilities, conveyance
systems, and utility operations (See Figure 11).
Stormsmartcoasts.org
...was established by the Gulf of Mexico
Governor's Alliance with startup funding
from NOAA and a 3-year EPA grant
to expand it. Smartcoasts provides
a platform for the open exchange of
information among states, communities,
counties, and others. A Community of
Practice for Climate Change includes
100 members across the Gulf region from
Sea Grant programs, NOAA, EPA, FEMA,
the five Gulf of Mexico states, counties,
parishes, communities, and universities.
www.epa.gov/water/climatechange
Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions 51
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
EPA's CRWU and CRE programs intend to continue working together to provide coastal
managers and infrastructure operators with planning support and technical assistance to
help reduce climate risks and encourage adaptation. The NWP also intends to consider new
approaches for ensuring that financial assistance to the water sector is used in ways that
increase resiliency, reduce vulnerability, and avoid adverse unintended consequences.
Strategic Action 27: The NWP intends to work collaboratively to support climate readiness of
coastal communities, including hazard mitigation, pre-disaster planning, preparedness, and
recovery efforts.
Climate change impacts such as sea level rise and increased storm intensity will exacerbate
existing coastal hazards. Flooding, wind, waves, and storm surge that damage coastal com-
munities can directly affect water quality, as well as damage water infrastructure.
To avoid such problems and minimize the need for emergency response, the NWP intends to
work within EPA and with other federal, tribal, and state agencies to provide technical assis-
tance to coastal communities for hazard mitigation and pre-disaster planning. After a disaster,
recovery and rebuilding efforts should avoid choices that reproduce previous vulnerabilities.
EPA's CRWU, CRE, and Sustainable Communities programs intend to collaborate to provide
local communities with planning tools to improve resiliency to natural hazards as well as to
bring other economic, environmental, and quality of life benefits. FEMA is a critical federal
partner; in 2010, EPA and FEMA signed a Memorandum of Agreement that will make it easier
for the two agencies to collaborate to help communities recover from disasters and better
plan for future resilience, including for climate change adaptation (EPA, 2011i). The NWP also
intends to coordinate with NOAA's Storm Smart Coasts program to maximize efficiencies in
delivering tools and other information to local communities. These programs will assist with
vulnerability analyses and help to develop and implement hazard mitigation strategies.
Local projects supported by EPA grants may be affected by climate change impacts. EPA
intends to provide advice on how funding recipients can include an assessment of adaptation
and mitigation measures in their planning for federally funded projects.
Strategic Action 28: The NWP intends to support preparation and response planning for a
diverse array of impacts to coastal aquatic environments.
The sea, the great unifier, is man's only hope.
Now, as never before, the old phrase has a literal
meaning: We are all in the same boat.
— Jacques Cousteau
Coastal upland, wetland, and aquatic ecosystems and
resources have evolved over centuries and millennia.
They are stressed by human uses and activities and
invasive species, and now face further stress from a full
range of climate change impacts, including threats such
as sea level rise that are unique to coastal areas.
NWP base programs and initiatives will need to be cognizant of threats to coastal water qual-
ity. While extensive expertise in restoration planning resides within EPA and at other agencies
and organizations, there is a need for decision support tools to help answer challenging ques-
tions about whether restoration is viable or whether alternative strategies should be pursued
in certain places. Protecting water quality and aquatic habitats such as sea grass beds may
52 Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions
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Response to Climate Change
Figure 1 2: Observed Northward Shift of
Marine Species in the Bering Sea Between
the Years 1982 and 2006
Northward
}
E
fi
D!
150
120-
90
60
30-
-30
Soulliward
Av»f*9« Shift
As air and water temperatures rise, marine species are moving northward,
affecting fisheries, ecosystems, and coastal communitites that depend on the
food source. On average, by 2006, the center of the range for the examined
species moved 19 miles north of their 1982 locations.
require innovative actions like ensuring
that the volume and quality of freshwater
inflows into estuaries are maintained. In
the context of coastal change and sea level
rise, decisions about coastal marshes may
need to consider long-term viability and
replenishment costs. The NWP intends to
use existing partnerships and networks,
such as the Interagency Coastal Wetlands
Workgroup, Coastal America, the National
Dredging Team, and other interagency plan-
ning groups, to promote the consideration of
sea level change and other climate change
impacts in coastal habitat restoration plan-
ning. The National and Regional Dredging
Teams intend to promote the beneficial use
of suitable dredged material for maintaining
and restoring coastal marshes and other
habitats.
In addition, "Blue Carbon" is an emerging
concept that refers to the ability of aquatic
ecosystems to sequester C02. Should emissions trading practices take hold that include Blue
Carbon, the use of external funding from private sector C02 emissions offsets might become a
useful strategy for funding restoration or creation of sustainable coastal habitats. Care should
be taken, however, to ensure that other ecosystem services do not suffer if some aquatic
environments are managed strictly for their ability to sequester C02.
GOAL 11: Protect ocean environments by incorporating shifting environmental conditions and
other emerging threats into EPA programs.
Protecting the ocean environment from adverse impacts of climate change is critical to human
well-being because the ocean provides food, regulates our weather, and offers numerous
opportunities for renewable energy, among many other benefits. Society will also be tempted
to look to the oceans for seemingly simple solutions. It is important that strategies to reduce
carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere do not impose long-term costs on ocean waters, and
that the many uses of marine spaces are responsibly balanced. (Figure 12)
Strategic Action 29: The NWP intends to consider climate change impacts and associated
impacts (e.g., ocean acidification, nitrogen and phosphorus pollution) on marine water qual-
ity in its ocean management authorities, policies, and programs.
Climate change impacts to the ocean environment, including temperature increases, in-
creased pollutant runoff, and hazardous algal blooms, as well as increases in ocean/coastal
acidity, hazardous algal blooms, and spread of invasive species, add pressure to already
stressed systems.
Snow crab
Each bar represents a family of species
MueterandUHW"
www.epa.gov/water/climatechange
Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions 53
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
The National Coastal Conditions Report that describes the ecological and environmental con-
ditions in U.S. coastal waters will incorporate climate change impacts into its evaluation. EPA
issued a Memorandum (EPA, 2010e) that recognized the seriousness of aquatic life impacts
associated with ocean acidification and described how states can move forward, where
ocean acidification information exists, to address it during the CWA303(d) listing cycle using
the current 303(d) Integrated Reporting (IR) framework. Additional guidance may be neces-
sary as improved monitoring and assessment information becomes available. If other climate
change impacts on ocean environments substantially affect water quality, such as dissolved
oxygen and temperature, then the NWP intends to respond to them as well (USGCRP, 2008).
Strategic Action 30: The NWP intends to use available authorities and work with existing re-
gional ocean governance structures, federal and state agencies, and other networks so that
offshore renewable energy production does not adversely affect the marine environment.
Federal and state agencies are exploring offshore renewable energy production as a means
to reduce the production of GHGs and increase energy independence. The NWP believes it
is vital that the installation of renewable energy infrastructure (e.g., offshore wind turbines or
wave energy systems, transmission cables, and shore-based facilities) be conducted in an en-
vironmentally responsible manner that does not result in unintended adverse consequences.
Relevant statutory authorities administered by the NWP include the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA), the Marine Protection Research and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA), and the
CWA.
It will be particularly important to partner with and engage Regional Ocean Partnerships and
EPA's geographic programs (e.g., Chesapeake Bay, Long Island Sound, Gulf of Mexico, NEPs),
as well as other federal agencies, states, and tribes, and to participate in CMSP. CMSP is a
comprehensive, adaptive, integrated, ecosystem-based, and transparent spatial planning
process, based on sound science and intended to foster collaboration about how the ocean,
coasts, and Great Lakes should be sustainably used and protected now and for future genera-
tions. Various sections of the CWA may apply to offshore energy facilities.
Strategic Action 31: The NWP intends to support the evaluation of sub-seabed sequestration
of C02 and any proposals for ocean fertilization.
EPA intends to work with other agencies and the international community to provide techni-
cal assistance on sub-seabed carbon sequestration and coordinate with federal partners in
addressing proposals for carbon sequestration in the sub-seabed or other proposals, such as
potential fertilization of the ocean, including any applicable permitting that may be required
under the MPRSA orthe UIC program.
Carbon dioxide sequestration in sub-seabed geological formations, for example, involves
separation of carbon dioxide from industrial and energy-related sources, transport to and
injection into an offshore geological formation, and long-term isolation from the atmosphere.
The NWP believes it is vital that the new technologies are responsibly deployed to protect the
marine environment and avoid risks to coastal populations and habitats.
54
Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions
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Response to Climate Change
Strategic Action 32: The NWP intends to participate in the interagency development and
implementation of federal strategies through the National Ocean Council Strategic Action
Plans and the ICCATF.
Many federal agencies manage or use coastal and ocean resources to support commerce,
maintain national security, and ensure environmental sustainability. The NWP intends to
participate in development and implementation of federal strategies so that coastal and ocean
environments are protected and are prepared for climate change adaptation and mitigation,
especially through the NOC. The National Ocean Policy identifies nine priority objectives,
including to "strengthen resiliency of coastal communities and marine and Great Lakes envi-
ronments and their abilities to adapt to climate change impacts and ocean acidification" and
"increase knowledge to continually inform and improve management and policy decisions and
the capacity to respond to change and challenges." The NOC is developing a strategic action
plan for this objective that will also serve as the National Action Plan (NAP) for Oceans and
Coasts under the ICCATF. The NWP intends to continue to participate in writing and imple-
menting this strategic action plan.
D. Water Quality
VISION: Our Nation's surface water, drinking water, and ground water quality are protected,
and the risks of climate change to human health and the environment are diminished,
through a variety of adaptation and mitigation strategies.
This section focuses on the NWP's strategy for responding to climate change impacts on
water quality, using both regulatory and nonregulatory controls. Regulatory controls include
WQS, TMDLs, and the NPDES, as well as drinking water regulations such as the DIG program.
Nonregulatory controls include promotion of Gl and LID strategies and other collaborative ap-
proaches. (Larger landscape strategies are covered in the Watersheds and Wetlands section).
This section also discusses strategies for maintaining water quality while encouraging the
adoption of alternative sources of energy and fuel technologies that reduce greenhouse gas
emissions.
GOAL 12: The NWP protects waters of the United States and promotes management of sus-
tainable surface water resources under changing climate conditions.
As detailed in the 2008 Strategy, climate change is expected to impact surface waters in sev-
eral ways, affecting both human health and ecological endpoints. For example, it is projected
that warmer air temperatures in many locations will heat surface water temperatures to levels
that will decrease the water's ability to hold dissolved oxygen, leading to growth of harm-
ful algal blooms and hypoxia. Warmer air temperatures may also lead to more evaporation,
which could cause lower flows and higher salinity, as well as higher concentrations of other
substances. Lower flows and greater salinity would likely cause an increase in impaired wa-
ters, even if actual pollutant loadings from dischargers do not increase. In many parts of the
country, precipitation events are expected to become more extreme, increasing runoff with
associated increases in pollutant loads, increasing variability of streamflow and associated
sedimentation, and expanding flood risk.
www.epa.gov/water/climatechange Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions 55
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
Strategic Action 33: The NWP intends to encourage states and communities to incorporate
climate change considerations into their water quality planning.
Sensitivity to impacts combined with adaptive capacity is a measure of vulnerability, and un-
derstanding vulnerability is necessary as the basis for adaptation planning. That is, the extent
of climate change impacts on different ecosystems, regions, and sectors will depend not only
on their sensitivity to climate change, but also on their
adaptive capacity or resiliency. In order to facilitate
adaptation of water programs and increase resiliency
of water resources, states and tribes can use existing
water quality and watershed planning programs and
resources (e.g., CWA Sections 106,604(b) and 319(h)
planning funds) to conduct detailed assessments or de-
velop plans to increase their adaptive capacity and prioritize adaptive responses. For example,
agencies or local or interstate planning organizations can use section 604(b) funds to address
climate change as part of comprehensive water quality planning efforts.5 In addition, the
CWA Section 319(h) grant program can be an important resource to states for implementing
nonpoint source management projects that protect
vulnerable priority waters and sources of drinking
and that restore impaired waters.
For more information on how NWP intends to
work to protect the quality and resilience of wa-
tersheds, please see Goal 3, Strategic Action 10 in
the Watersheds and Wetlands section, page 39.
Integrated Municipal
Stormwater and Wastewater
Plans
An integrated planning process can help
define a critical path to achieving the
objectives of the Clean Water Act by
identifying efficiencies in implementing
competing requirements that arise from
separate wastewater and stormwater
projects, including capital investments and
operation and maintenance requirements.
This approach can also lead to more
sustainable and comprehensive solutions,
such as green infrastructure, that improves
water quality as well as supports other
quality of life attributes that enhance the
vitality of communities.
— EPA policy memo available at: http://cfpub.
epa.gov/npdes/integratedplans.cfm (EPA, 2012d)
Strategic Action 34: The NWP intends to encourage
green infrastructure and low-impact development to
protect water quality and to make watersheds more
resilient.
Preserving the ability of the land to absorb water
helps to preserve the natural function of wetlands
and watersheds while also controlling pulses of
stormwater. Both Gl and LID incorporate approaches
to managing stormwater in a way that will reduce
runoff. Gl and LID management approaches and
technologies use infiltration, evapotranspiration,
and capture and reuse of stormwater to maintain or
restore natural hydrologies (EPA, 2011j). They employ
principles such as preserving and re-creating natural
landscape features and minimizing imperviousness
to create functional and appealing site drainage that
treats stormwater as a resource rather than a waste
product (EPA, 2011k). EPA is actively promoting these
kinds of practices through its Green Infrastructure
Section 604(b)of the CWA establishes a grant program to fund state, local, and interstate water quality planning
efforts under CWA sections 205(j) and 303(e).This provision requires states to reserve 1% of their Clean Water State
Revolving Fund allotment, or $100,000, whichever is greater, for planning. Under section 205(j), many states pass
through at least 40% of these funds to local or interstate planning organizations.
56 Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions
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Response to Climate Change
Strategy (EPA, 2012c), available at http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/greeninfrastructure/
index.cfm.
The NWP intends to promote the use of Gl and LID through tool development, stormwater
permitting, outreach, and assistance programs to support states and permittees in evaluating
benefits and co-benefits of Gl and LID approaches. The NWP intends to consider focusing its
regulatory and permitting efforts not only on new development, but also on redevelopment.
This Strategic Action supports the Agency goal to incorporate climate change science and
scenario information in five rulemaking processes by 2015.
Strategic Action 35: The NWP intends to promote the consideration of climate change im-
pacts by NPDES permitting authorities.
As authorized by the CWA, the NPDES permit program reduces water pollution by regulating
point sources that discharge pollutants into waters of the United States (EPA, 2009c). To help
NPDES permit writers prepare for possible climate change impacts to surface waters, the
NWP intends to evaluate and develop, as needed, technical tools for permit writers to improve
their decision-making processes related to the impacts of climate change, such as use of
precipitation and streamflow data and other data or models.
To promote water quality on a watershed scale, the NWP intends to continue to encourage
the use of flexible watershed approaches, such as watershed-based permitting and water
quality trading, for building surface water resiliency to climate change impacts. The NWP
also intends to consider the need for, and appropriateness of, reflecting climate projections in
NPDES permitting (e.g., precipitation projections).
The NWP intends to evaluate the anticipated effect of
climate change on critical low-flow stream conditions,
and encourage NPDES permitting authorities to incor-
porate revised low-flow stream estimates into NPDES
permit effluent limit development where appropri-
ate. The NWP also intends to continue to encourage
NPDES permitting authorities to consider anticipated
climate change impacts (e.g., warmer surface waters)
when evaluating applications for 316(a) variances from
thermal effluent limitations.
Strategic Action 36: The NWP intends to encourage
water quality authorities to consider climate change
impacts when developing wasteload and load alloca-
tions in TMDLs where appropriate.
Under Section 303(d) of the CWA, states, territories,
and authorized tribes are required to develop lists
of impaired waters (i.e., "the 303(d) list"). These are
waters that are too polluted or otherwise degraded to meet the water quality standards set by
states, territories, or authorized tribes after the implementation of effluent limitations or other
The Chesapeake Bay TMDL
and Climate Change
"EPA and USGS will work in conjunction
with the states to conduct an analysis
by 2017 to consider accounting for
uncertainties of climate change in TMDL
allocations. USGS has begun initial
assessment of changes in pollution loads
in the watershed under different climate
and land-use scenarios. Initial results will
be available in 2012 and be used to further
plan assessments for TMDL allocations.
Enhanced assessment will begin in 2016."
— Chesapeake Executive Order Strategy, p. 41
[CBPO,2010]
www.epa.gov/water/climatechange
Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions 57
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
pollution control requirements. The law requires jurisdictions to develop TMDLs for these
waters. ATMDL is a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a water body can
receive and still safely meet water quality standards (EPA, 20111).
The NWP intends to look for opportunities for states or EPA to consider potential climate
change impacts when developing TMDLs. The NWP intends to explore the use of tools such
as models to help states evaluate pollutant load impacts under a range of projected climatic
shifts. This would be done in a way that takes into account the best available data as well as
any uncertainties in the models or data.
TMDLs are developed and implemented using an adaptive management approach, in which
adjustments can be made as environmental conditions, pollutant sources, or other factors
change over time. Thus, as more information and tools become available, there will be oppor-
tunities to make adjustments in TMDLs to reflect climate change impacts.
Strategic Action 37: The NWP intends to identify and work to protect designated uses that
are at risk from climate change impacts.
A designated use establishes the water quality goals for a specific water body and serves as
the regulatory basis for establishing controls beyond technology-based requirements. The
water quality standards regulations, implementing CWA section 303(c), require that states and
authorized tribes specify appropriate water uses to be achieved and protected. These uses
are identified by taking into consideration the use and value of the water body for public water
supply; for protection and propagation of fish, shellfish, and wildlife; and for recreational,
agricultural, industrial, and navigational purposes. In addition, the CWA places additional
emphasis on achieving, wherever attainable, "water quality which provides for the protection
and propagation of fish, shellfish, and wildlife and for recreation in and on the water" [Section
101(a)(2)]. EPA's regulation interprets and implements these provisions through requirements
thatWQS protect the uses specified in Section 101(a)(2) of the Act unless those uses have
been shown to be unattainable.
EPA's regulations require that when removing a designated use, the state must provide an
analysis (i.e., a Use Attainability Analysis [UAA]) to demonstrate that the designated use is
not feasible to attain based on one of the established regulatory factors. Additionally, states
are required to conduct a review of their WQS at least once every three years. As part of that
triennial review, states examine whether any new information has become available for water
bodies where water quality standards specify designated uses that do not include the uses
specified in Section 101(a)(2) of the Act. If such new information indicates that the uses speci-
fied in Section 101(a)(2) are attainable, the state shall revise its WQS accordingly.
The water quality standards regulation specifies circumstances under which a designated use
may or may not be removed or revised. If a designated use is an existing use for a particular
water body, the designated use cannot be removed unless a use requiring more stringent
criteria is added.
To target protective efforts, the NWP intends to identify designated uses that are important to
states and tribes, necessary to meet the goals of the CWA, and vulnerable to climate change
58 Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions www.epa.gov/water/climatechange
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Response to Climate Change
impacts. For example, recreational uses such as swimming, boating, and fishing may be
affected by changes in precipitation levels, which may lead to increased impairments. Cold
water fisheries may need particular consideration, since such uses may be particularly sus-
ceptible to changes in water temperature. To protect existing uses and water quality, the NWP
intends to focus on implementation of antidegradation requirements, which, at a minimum,
require maintenance and protection of existing uses and the level of water quality necessary
to protect the existing uses.
The NWP also intends to work with stakeholders to better understand how a state could
conduct Use Attainability Analysis (UAA), using the six attainability factors in EPA's current
regulations, where climate change may be the primary cause of nonattainment and where
impacts cannot be remedied.
Strategic Action 38: The NWP intends to clarify how states can update aquatic life water
quality criteria on more regular intervals, using the best and most accurate science and data
related to both changing climate conditions and how pollutants react.
Section 304(a)(1) of the CWA requires EPA to develop criteria for water quality that accurately
reflect the latest scientific knowledge regarding pollutant concentrations and environmental
or human health effects (EPA, 2011p). From time to time, these criteria are updated to account
for advances in the science. States, tribes, and territories may adopt these criteria or other
scientifically defensible criteria into their water quality standards. The NWP encourages
states to update criteria using the best and most accurate science and data related to both
the changing climate conditions and how pollutants react to the changing conditions on a pol-
lutant by pollutant basis.
In addition, since climate changes will affect hydrologic conditions, the NWP intends to incor-
porate the best available science in an informational document to assist states and tribes that
are interested in protecting aquatic life from these impacts.
GOAL 13: As the nation makes decisions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop
alternative sources of energy and fuel, the NWP intends to work to protect water resources
from unintended adverse consequences.
Just as it takes energy to treat and distribute water supplies, it takes water to generate and
produce energy and fuels. Well-designed or rehabilitated water infrastructure can reduce
energy demand, and careful energy planning can reduce water demand. Using a systems
approach, consolidated water infrastructure, energy, and transportation planning can di-
rectly and indirectly reduce the demand for both water and energy. While Goals 1 and 2 in
the Infrastructure section of this 2012 Strategy discuss improving the energy profile of water
infrastructure, this goal identifies actions that may reduce the adverse effects of new energy
technologies on water resources, consistent with the recently published Principles for an
Energy-Water Future (see Appendix A).
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
Strategic Action 39: The NWP intends to continue to provide perspective on the water
resource implications of new energy technologies.
Production of energy and fuel rely on access to water, and may in turn contribute to water
quantity and quality problems. Further, while alternative sources of energy and fuel are impor-
tant for reducing emissions of GHGs and offer a number of win-win energy choices, they too
bring water resource challenges. As technologies evolve, the NWP intends to provide per-
spective on how the nation's energy choices affect water resources.
Strategic Action 40: EPA intends to provide assistance to states and permittees so that
geologic sequestration of C02 is responsibly managed to protect and preserve underground
sources of drinking water.
EPA finalized requirements for geologic sequestration in December 2010, under the authority
of the SDWA's DIG Program (EPA, 2010e). These requirements are designed to protect under-
ground sources of drinking water (USDWs). The rule builds on existing DIG Program require-
ments, with tailored requirements that address carbon dioxide injection for long-term storage
to ensure that wells used for geologic sequestration are appropriately sited, constructed,
tested, and monitored during and after injection (i.e., during a post injection site care period),
and closed in a manner that ensures USDW protection. The NWP intends to focus on imple-
mentation of these requirements to protect USDWs.
Strategic Action 41: EPA will also continue to work with States to help them identify pol-
luted waters, including those affected by biofuels production, and help them develop and
implement Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for those waters.
EPA finalized the Renewable Fuel Standard rulemaking in early 2010 (EPA, 2011m). The rule-
making implements a statutory provision that requires 36 billion gallons per year of biofuels
be used by 2022. As the production and price of corn and other biofuel feedstocks increase,
there may be impacts to both water quality and water quantity. Runoff from agricultural land
carries contaminants such as fertilizers, pesticides, and sediment. More agriculture gener-
ally requires more irrigation, which increases the demand for water and the amount of water
flowing directly off land and carrying pollutants into nearby water bodies. The degree to which
fertilizers, pesticides, and sediment affect water quality depends on a variety of management
factors, including nutrient and pesticide application rates and application methods, conserva-
tion practices and crop rotations, and acreage and intensity of tile drained lands.
Runoff from agricultural nonpoint sources is not directly controlled under the NPDES permit
program. Nonpoint source pollution is addressed via state pollution control programs. These
programs are supported with CWA Section 319 grant funding and include an array of regula-
tory and voluntary approaches depending on the state. In addition, water quality trading is a
tool that can allow permitted point source facilities facing higher pollution control costs to
meet their regulatory obligations by purchasing environmentally equivalent (or superior) pollu-
tion reduction credits from another source at lower cost. In some trading programs, nonpoint
sources such as agricultural operations may be included in trading if pollution reductions can
be sufficiently documented. EPA will also continue to work with states to help them identify
60 Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions
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Response to Climate Change
polluted waters, including those affected by biofuels production, and help them develop and
implement TMDLs for those waters.
Under the CWA, all point sources of pollution to a water of the United States, including ethanol
plants, are required to have a permit to discharge to water bodies for both industrial process
water and stormwater. NPDES permits for ethanol plants take into account the minerals, toxic
pollutants, and biological oxygen demand resulting from the production process.
In order to adapt to the increased storage of biofuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, in under-
ground storage tanks (USTs), EPA is working with its partners to gain a better understanding
of UST system materials compatibility; functionality of leak detection technologies; and the
fate, transport, and remediation issues associated with biofuel releases. Unlike other fuel
components, ethanol is corrosive and highly water soluble. As a result, special precautions
must be taken to ensure that UST system components are both compatible and functional
with ethanol blends (EPA, 2009a). EPA's ORD provides methods, models, and tools needed to
remediate leaking UST sites and address fate and transport issues of leaking contaminants.
EPA also proposed guidance (EPA, 2010f) that will clarify how UST owners and operators can
comply with EPA's compatibility requirement, which states that owners and operators must
use a system made of or lined with materials that are compatible with the substance stored in
the UST system.
EPA will continue to explore these and other options for mitigation of risks related to the
production and storage of biofuels, including ethanol-blended fuels, and possible impacts to
water quality.
To learn more about how NWP plans
to encourage energy efficiency for
water utilities, please see Goal 1,
Strategic Action 2 in the Infrastructure
section.
Strategic Action 42: EPA intends to provide informational materials
for stakeholders to encourage consideration of alternative sources
of energy and fuels that are water efficient and maintain water
quality.
Alternative energy sources provide decreased reliance on fossil
fuels. However, they still require access to water, and may still place
added stress on water supplies. EPA intends to develop a website
that consolidates EPA information on the energy/water nexus, as
well as water and energy efficiency information for various sectors (forthcoming; includes
EPA-OAR; EPA-R9,2011). In order to reduce the possibility of adverse impacts to water quality
and supply, EPA intends to seek opportunities and explore options to continue to develop and
update outreach materials for stakeholders in concert with federal agencies such as DOE and
its Renewable Energy Technology Program (DOE, 2012) and state water science agencies.
Strategic Action 43: As climate change affects the operation or placement of reservoirs,
the NWP intends to work with other federal agencies and EPA programs to understand the
combined effects of climate change and hydropower on flows, water temperature, and water
quality.
Hydropower generation is considered a renewable energy resource because the water
supplying it is renewable. A hydroelectric power plant converts the downstream movement
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
of water into electricity by directing the water, often held at a dam or reservoir, through a
hydraulic turbine that is connected to a generator. Although power plants are regulated by
federal and state laws to protect human health and the environment, there are a wide variety
of environmental impacts associated with power generation technologies. In addition, climate
change is likely to affect the amount, timing, and temperature of water used for hydropower,
creating competition for water supply, affecting operational decisions, and altering the back-
ground condition of the aquatic system. The NWP intends to work with other federal agencies
and programs to understand and address these combined impacts. For example, NWP could
work with the DOE Wind and Water Power Program (DOE, 2011, DOE 2012) as well as with the
Department of the Interior and other signatories of the Federal Hydropower Memorandum of
Understanding (BOR, DOE, USAGE) to further coordination and integration of hydropower and
other water resource uses (BOR, 2010).
GOAL 14: The NWP intends to work to make hydrological and climate data and projections
for water resource management available, when needed, in collaboration with other EPA
programs and federal, state, interstate, tribal, and other partners.
Many of the NWP's programs are currently faced with a lack of sufficient data to assess
national program effectiveness. Whether the data don't exist or are just not easily or publicly
available differs by program, but lack of access to current data and consolidated analyses is
a fundamental problem. As more climate models and vulnerability assessment tools become
available, the NWP intends to work with partners from inside and outside EPA to collect, as-
similate, and disseminate historic and projected information from the best sources available.
The strategies in this section aim to gather, enhance, and improve access to the data that the
NWP and its partners need for water resource management under changing climate condi-
tions.
Strategic Action 44: Monitor climate change impacts to surface waters and ground water.
In order to respond to effects resulting from a changing climate, the NWP intends to under-
stand the impacts to inland and coastal surface and ground waters. The NWP intends to sup-
port interagency monitoring networks by coordinating and collaborating with the EPA/State
National Aquatic Resource Surveys (EPA, 2011 n) and other agencies' monitoring programs, as
well as the Federal Advisory Committee on Water Information (ACWI), to encourage them to
add the ability to track and evaluate changes to water resources availability and quality using
historical, reliable, long-term monitoring networks. The NWP also intends to continue to con-
tribute to ACWI's Subcommittee on Ground Water to establish and maintain a National Ground
Water Monitoring Network to describe trends in interstate and regional changes in ground
water quality and availability. Further, states should understand that funding is available to as-
sist in water quality monitoring, including surface water and ground water, under Sections 106
and 319 of the Clean Water Act. See also Strategic Action 2.
Strategic Action 45: Develop new methods for use of updated precipitation, storm frequency,
and observational streamflow data, as well as methods for evaluating projected changes in
low flow conditions, in collaboration with other federal agencies.
62 Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions
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Response to Climate Change
EPA intends to work to update hydrological data and methods in collaboration with federal
consortia (e.g., ICCATF, the Office of Science and Technology Policy's Subcommittee on Water
Availability and Quality [SWAQ], the USGCRP, the Climate Change and Water Working Group
[CCAWWG], the Integrated Water Resources Science and Services [IWRSS]) and engage
partners (e.g., ACWI, Water Environment Research Foundation [WERF], the Water Research
Foundation [WRF]) and others to develop and standardize a process to revise precipitation,
temperature, and storm event data nationwide to incorporate expected changes in commonly
used data.
Of particular concern are the storm frequency, duration, and intensity estimates (e.g., 10-year,
24-hour storm events; 100-year, 24-hour storm events) and low-flow conditions in rivers and
streams at the Hydrologic Unit Code 12 watershed level.
Updating precipitation records and statistical methods, and developing projections of future
precipitation patterns, will enable a fundamental shift in modeling methods, which currently
rely on historical data that may no longer be representative of current and future conditions.
These efforts will fully consider the uncertainty inherent in predictions of the pace and magni-
tude of future climate-change related effects, especially at a local level.
Strategic Action 46: The NWP intends to work to enhance flow estimation using NHDPIus.
The NHDPIus is a comprehensive set of digital spatial data that encodes information about
naturally occurring and constructed bodies of water, paths through which water flows, and
related entities (USGS, 2011). It provides full characterization of the flow network, identifica-
tion of unregulated and regulated gages and reaches, and network-based interpolation and
adjustment of flows. In order to enhance flow estimates in the face of climate change, the
NWP intends to support enhancements to NHDPIus as a cost-effective means of providing
more accurate flow estimates for permitting, TMDLs, watershed planning, and other uses.
E. Working With Tribes
VISION: Tribes are able to preserve, adapt, and maintain the viability of their culture, tradi-
tions, natural resources, and economies in the face of a changing climate.
Native Americans have distinct cultural and spiritual connections to the water and land.
The collective wisdom of elders and ancestors has allowed them to carefully use and
manage the land for centuries. Changes to the earth's climate provide a new set of
challenges for tribes seeking to maintain and protect their resources and the safety and
health of their people.
Indian tribes are involved in protecting and restoring tens of thousands of square miles of
rivers, streams, and lakes, as well as ground water in over 110,000 square miles of Indian
Country in the United States. Because tribes may be regulators for water programs and water
resource managers for their communities, it is important that tribes are able to provide ongo-
ing input and participate in NWP strategies and actions on climate change. It will be important
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Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions 63
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
to understand and consider the impact of climate change on Native American communities
and their traditional values and cultures, particularly as EPA invests in water management
programs in Indian Country.
Tribes often express a holistic perspective in view-
ing and understanding the environment, and seek to
achieve "sustainability" in their lifestyle choices, both
environmentally and economically, recognizing that
ultimately, it is the environment that sustains us all.
Tribal recommendations to EPA include seeing the "big
picture" and not compartmentalizing environmental
programs into separate media to address threats from
climate change.
Much of the work with tribes takes place within the EPA
Regions, further described in Chapter V, Geographic Cli-
mate Regions. This section broadly describes the kinds
of activities the NWP intends to pursue with tribes.
GOAL 15: The NWP incorporates climate change con-
siderations in the implementation of its core programs
for tribal nations, and collaborates with other EPA
Offices and federal Agencies to work with tribes on
climate change issues on a multi-media basis to build
sustainability.
Strategic Action 47: Through formal consultation and
other mechanisms, the NWP intends to ensure that the
revised NWP Tribal Strategy and subsequent imple-
mentation of CWA, SDWA and other core programs
incorporate climate change as a key consideration.
Principles to observe include:
• Tribes are involved in watershed-based strategies, integrated water resource man-
agement strategies, or other geographic strategies that affect tribal resources.
• Tribes participate in the development of EPA multimedia strategies for addressing
climate change impacts in Indian Country.
• Actions taken are informed by and consistent with the EPA Tribal Science Council's
climate change priorities and research recommendations.
Strategic Action 48: The NWP intends to incorporate adaptation into tribal funding mecha-
nisms, and will collaborate with other EPA and federal funding programs to support sustain-
ability and adaptation in tribal communities, to the extent appropriate and allowable by law.
Examples of actions for the NWP to pursue include:
Working with Tribes
Examples of EPA Adaptation
Activities
Region 2 awarded a grant to the Saint Regis
Mohawk Tribe to work together with all
Region 2tribal nations to discuss and design
adaptation approaches during 2012.
In Region 5, the Great Lakes National
Program Office is funding Great Lakes tribes
to implement climate change adaptation
projects and programs. Specifically, Lake
Superiortribes and tribal organizations
received Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
(GLRI) funding through theirtribal capacity
grants to initiate priority climate change
adaptation projects and initiatives; and
tribes have been involved in the Lake
Superior Sustainability Committee which is
developing a Lake Superior climate change
adaptation plan.
64 Programmatic Visions, Goals, and Strategic Actions
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Response to Climate Change
• Provide information on the use of funding programs within the NWP to include
mitigation and adaptation planning and implementation as eligible grant activities, as
appropriate.
• Work with others in EPA to help clarify for tribes how funding mechanisms can be
used for climate planning and implementation, such as the Tribal General Assistance
Program managed by the American Indian Environmental Office (AIEO) and Commu-
nity Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE).
• Work with federal partners to coordinate tribal adaptation planning and to conduct
training and education for tribal members and environmental justice communities for
building adaptive capacity.
GOAL 16: Tribes have access to information on climate change that they can use to inform
and engage their communities for effective decision making.
Strategic Action 49: The NWP intends to collaborate to explore and develop climate change
science, information and tools for tribes to understand local climate impacts and risks to
inform adaptation solutions, and will incorporate local knowledge where possible.
Examples of information requested by tribes include:
• Information on environmental conditions and long-term trends.
• Risk assessment and management tools to help identify environmental risks and
inform adaptation solutions.
• Assessments of watershed conditions and impacts using peer-reviewed summaries
of empirical data specific to geographic areas and water resources, to inform local
action.
• Perspectives of tribal elders with historic information to inform understanding and
adaptation responses.
• Management options that consider climate change factors to protect watershed
resources.
• Case studies of Tribal Environmental Knowledge (TEK) incorporated into program
delivery, and guidelines for incorporating TEK into science products.
• Opportunities to leverage federal resources that can provide science information to
tribes.
Strategic Action 50: The NWP intends to collaborate with others to develop communication
materials relevant for tribal uses and tribal audiences.
Examples of materials requested by tribes include:
• Information tailored to different climate regions.
• Information linked to tribal culture and traditions.
• Information for use in elementary, high school, and tribal college and university
curricula.
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A. Introduction
THE USGCRP defines eight geographic regions that have broadly common climatological
characteristics (USGCRP, 2009a). In evaluating the EPA water program for this revised
2012 Strategy, we have included a discussion of particular issues by climate region.
These regions are largely adopted from the USGCRP construct with a few amendments. The
"Islands" Region has been broken into two distinctive Island groups (Caribbean and Pa-
cific Islands); and a Montane
i
Figure 13: Climate Regions as Adapted from USGCRP
Region consisting of the
glaciated ranges of the Rocky
Mountains, Sierra Nevada,
and the Cascades was added
to reflect its unique geo-
graphic features and expect-
ed climate change impacts
(Figure 13). Further, while
the 2000 Assessment also
considered "Native Peoples
and Native Homelands" as
a Region, we have included
tribal issues in Chapter IV,
Programmatic Visions, Goals,
and Strategic Actions. More
detailed information on cli-
mate regions can be found on
the USGCRP website (USGCRP,
2012) and on EPA's main climate website (www.epa.gov/climatechange). The NWP will incor-
porate new information about impacts in the various climate regions as it is developed.
Several EPA Regions span multiple USGCRP regions (see Figure 13 and Table 3). Each EPA
Region addresses a variety of climate impacts in their program implementation. This chapter
describes strategic issues and key actions that the EPA Regions intend to focus on in the
coming years, while the Regions also participate in the implementation of relevant strategic
actions discussed in Chapter IV.
The federal government is working to deliver climate services not only at a national scale but
also at regional scales. While similar climate characteristics can be grouped broadly within
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Geographic Climate Regions 67
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
the climate regions, mitigation, and adaption efforts tend to occur at a
very localized scale. EPA intends to work with other federal agencies
and stakeholders to considerthe spatial variability of climate change
when addressing climate impacts. Examples of federal agencies
working to develop localized climate-related services, and with whom
each of the EPA Regional programs intends to collaborate, include:
• DOI in support of LCCs
• DOI in support of CSC
• NOAARISAs
• Interagency/NOAA-led National Integrated Drought Informa-
tion System (NIDIS)
• NOAA National Climatic Data Centers
• National Park Service Climate Friendly Parks Initiative
Further, as described in the ICCATF 2010 Progress Report (CEQ, 2010),
regional offices of federal agencies have been asked to coordinate
to deliver services related to climate change. As a result, an effort is
underway to develop regional hubs that can provide localized as-
sistance, where a regional adaptation coordinator can offer a single
point of entry for stakeholders to access federal adaptation science
and services. These partnerships will be important for EPA Regions as
they work toward achieving their long-term goals, and close collabo-
ration among these federal climate related services will be important to achieve the strategic
actions described in this strategy.
B. Ongoing Programs Relevant to Climate Change Across All
Regions
There are a number of ongoing programs and activities, described throughout this report, that
are important for protecting water resources irrespective of climate change, and that are also
important for both adapting to climate change impacts and reducing GHG emissions. These
core programs and principles being implemented by EPA across all climate regions include:
• Gland LID.
• Water efficiency and conservation through the WaterSense program.
• Building sustainability of water and wastewater infrastructure through the CRWU
program.
• Improving energy efficiency through the EUM program.
• Promoting proactive, holistic aquatic ecosystem conservation and protection through
the HWI.
• Developing tools for coastal resources via the CRE program and the NEP.
Table 3: USGCRP Climate
Regions and EPA Regions
Climate Regions
Northeast
Southeast
Midwest
Great Plains
Southwest
Pacific Northwest
Montane
Alaska
Caribbean Islands
U.S. Pacific Islands
and Territories
EPA Regions
1,
3,
2,
6,
6,
8,
8,
2,3
4,6
5,7
7,8
8,9
10
9,10
10
2
9
68 Geographic Climate Regions
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Response to Climate Change
• Protecting underground sources of drinking
water by implementing the Geologic Seques-
tration rule.
• Coordinating federal funding and programs
through the Partnership for Sustainable
Communities between HUD, DOT, and EPA,
to align infrastructure investments, such
as for water, housing, or transportation,
that will help reduce pollution and build
resilience.
As EPA continues to develop approaches to mitigate
GHG emissions and adapt to climate change, they
will be adopted across the climate regions as guided
by Regional priorities.
Table 4: Interstate
Organizations Receiving CWA
106 Funds
New England Interstate Water Pollution
Control Commission
Interstate Environmental Commission
(NY/NJ)
Interstate Commission of the Potomac
River Basin
Delaware River Basin Commission
Susquehanna River Basin Commission
Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation
Commission
In addition, working with partners throughout the
Regions will be key. One example of partners are the
six interstate basin commissions that receive CWA
106 funding (Table 4) along with various other interstate commissions (ICWP, 2012).
C. EPA and Climate Regions - Goals and Strategic Actions
EPA's Regional programs provide a platform for integrating activities across media, including
air, water, and land. Many of the Regions, in fact, have developed, or are developing. Regional
energy and/or climate change adaptation plans or strategies. In addition, after EPA's Agency-
wide adaptation plan is finalized in 2012, each EPA Region will be preparing an implementa-
tion plan providing more detail on how it will carry out the work called for in the Agency-wide
plan, per the EPA Administrator's June 1, 2011, Policy Statement on Adaptation (EPA, 2011 a).
This section provides a synopsis of the water-related activities in the Regions and identifies
long-term goals and strategic actions that EPA Regions plan to take in the coming years to
build resilience at the national, state, tribal, and local levels. Links are provided to Regional
websites where more information can be found.
Region 1: http://www.epa.gov/region1/climatechange/index.html
Region 2: http://www.epa.gov/region2/climate/
Region 3: http://www.epa.gov/reg3artd/globclimate/
Northeast Region
The Northeast climate region
extends from West Virginia
and Maryland in the south to
the Canadian border in the
north, and is bounded by the
northern terminus of the Appalachian Mountain range to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to
the east. The region includes 12 states in three EPA Regions (1,2, and 3) and is home to 63
million people, representing 21 percent of the population of the United States. The population
is concentrated along the coast, with a generally more rural interior; therefore, addressing
sea level rise and other coastal issues is of particular importance.
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Geographic Climate Regions 69
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
Goal
EPA programs in the Northeast Region intend to work to make coastlines and watersheds
more resilient to changes in water temperature, precipitation, and sea level.
Strategic Issues
• Flooding from increasingly frequent and intense rain events, as well as intense tropi-
cal storms, will tax aging infrastructure, including combined sewer systems, and
adversely impact water quality.
• Dense coastal development and shoreline armoring prevents wetland migration and
leads to loss of wetlands as sea level rises.
• Increases in the extent of storm surge and coastal flooding will cause erosion and
property damage to the densely populated coasts. The state of New York has more
than $2.3 trillion in insured coastal property (USGCRP, 2009b).
• Sea level rise may increase saltwater intrusion to coastal freshwater aquifers, result-
ing in water resources unusable without desalination. Increased evaporation or
reduced recharge into coastal aquifers exacerbates saltwater intrusion.
• Sea level rise will lead to direct and indirect losses for the region's energy infra-
structure (e.g., power plants and oil refineries located along the coast, facilities that
receive oil and gas deliveries), including equipment damage from flooding or erosion.
Damaged energy facilities also may be a source of pollution.
• Sea level rise, increased water temperatures, salinity distribution and circulation,
changes in precipitation and freshwater runoff, and acidification will change aquatic
ecosystem species composition and distribution. This will also result in the potential
for new or increased prevalence of invasive species.
• Impacts from increasingly diverse types of energy development (e.g., hydraulic
fracturing, biomass, land-based and offshore renewable energy development) may
negatively impact the region's water resources.
• Despite the increased precipitation that most climate change models predict for the
Chesapeake watershed, initial estimates of watershed models are that increases
in temperature and consequent increases in evapotranspiration cause a decrease
in annual river flows in the mid-Atlantic. Considering that the Baltimore, D.C., Rich-
mond axis is the southern portion of the densely populated Boston-D.C. megalopolis,
concern is warranted for securing safe and adequate drinking water supplies under
climate change conditions in both the Northeast and Southeast climate regions.
Strategic Actions
In addition to promoting the core climate programs described in the introduction to this chap-
ter, EPA is working with the New England Federal Partners group, the Mid-Atlantic Regional
Council on the Ocean, and other regional networks to support the development of consistent
scientific methods and robust datasets to inform long-term policy decisions on climate change
vulnerability assessments and adaptation planning. This involves:
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Response to Climate Change
• Standardizing regional assumptions regarding future climate change impacts.
• Informing a framework for local, state, and regional decision-making that accommo-
dates existing and emergent data sources for adaptation planning efforts.
Additionally, EPA in the Northeast Region intends to serve as a leader, coordinator, and facili-
tator on mitigation and adaptation activities within the region. These activities include:
• Promote water and energy efficiency at water and wastewater utilities, and encour-
age sustainability by promoting WaterSense, CRE, and water sustainability initiatives.
• Support the NEP and CRE programs in the development of tools and the implementa-
tion of sea level rise adaptation measures.
• Continue to engage the National Ocean Policy/NOC in addressing sea level rise adap-
tation and mitigation measures.
• Support emergency preparedness/response capabilities in the water sector, such as
the mutual aid and assistance networks in New England.
• Promote structural and nonstructural floodplain and riparian zone management strat-
egies that recognize that intact and well-managed watersheds are more resilient to
severe storms, and absorb impacts and help balance flows overtime.
• Promote adoption of Gl and LID approaches through nonpoint source and stormwater
management and funding programs (e.g.. Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems
[MS4] permits that include flexibility for use of LID approaches)
• Support federally recognized tribes and environmental justice populations that are
already acutely impacted by water issues that may be aggravated by climate change,
and may require targeted technical assistance. For example. Region 2 awarded a
grant to the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe to work together with all Region 2 tribal nations
to discuss and design adaptation approaches during 2012.
Southeast Region
The Southeast climate region extends from Virginia to the Texas border with Mexico. It
includes the South Atlantic Coast, the Piedmont Coastal Plain, the Southern Appalachian
Mountains, the Gulf Coast, and the southern Mississippi River Watershed. All of EPA Region
4 and parts of Regions 3 and 6 are included in the Southeast Region.
The region includes a
wealth of ecological and
economic resources, such
as barrier islands, extensive
estuaries, busy shipping
ports, and important com-
mercial and recreational fishing resources. Given the continuing population and business
growth in the southeastern coastal states and the ensuing pressures on the coastal zones
of this region, there are compounded pressures from decreased water supply, as well as
Region 3: http://www.epa.gov/reg3artd/globclimate/
Region 4: http://www.epa.gov/region4/clean_energy/index.html
Region 6: http://www.epa.gov/region6/climatechange/water.htm
www.epa.gov/water/climatechange
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increased flooding, sea level rise, and intense tropical storms compounded by land subsid-
ence and heat-related stress on aquatic ecosystems and human health.
Goals
Region 4 established a cross-program multimedia Energy and Climate Change Steering Com-
mittee and Workgroup that developed and is implementing an Energy and Climate Change
Strategy. Similarly, Region 6 developed a Clean Energy and Climate Change Strategy through
a cross-program, multimedia workgroup. These workgroups intend to work to achieve the fol-
lowing long-term goals:
• Sea Level Rise: Work with coastal states, tribes, counties, cities, and federal partners
to enhance adoption of adaptive measures to lessen or avoid significant adverse ef-
fects and increase resiliency.
• Current Data: Update changing precipitation patterns, stream hydrology, and avail-
able water resources data and reflect them in core water program implementation, as
appropriate and taking uncertainty into consideration.
• Water Utility Energy and Water Use Efficiency: Promote energy and water use ef-
ficiency by working with partner utilities.
• Geological Sequestration: Build state programs' capacities and technical skills for
implementing the Geological Sequestration Rule for Class VI wells and related permit-
ting program.
• Vulnerable Populations: Work with vulnerable and historically under-represented
communities to build climate change adaptation and mitigation capacities.
Strategic Issues
• Decreased water availability due to increased temperature, increased evaporation,
and longer periods of time between rainfall events, coupled with an increase in soci-
etal demand, is very likely to affect many sectors of the Southeast's economy.
• Increasing evaporation and plant water loss rates alter the balance of runoff and
ground water recharge, which (along with sea level rise) is likely to lead to saltwater
intrusion into shallow aquifers in certain coastal areas of the Southeast.
• As sea level rises, barrier island configurations will change and coastal shorelines
will retreat. Wetlands will be inundated and eroded, and low-lying areas, including
some communities, will be inundated more frequently—some permanently—by the
advancing sea.
• As sea level rises, temperature increases, and rainfall patterns change the salinity of
estuaries, coastal wetlands, and tidal rivers, which are likely to become more vari-
able. There will likely be longer periods of high salinities destroying coastal ecosys-
tems or displacing them farther inland over time.
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Response to Climate Change
• Higher intensity and potentially more frequent storm surge flooding of coastal ecosys-
tems and communities are likely in some low-lying areas. This concern is particularly
acute along the central Gulf Coast and in south Florida and coastal North Carolina.
Combined with up to 2 feet or more of sea level rise, increased storm surge is likely to
result in significant human and natural resource consequences for this region.
• Hurricane intensity may increase with climate change and pose an increasingly
severe risk to people, personal property, and public infrastructure in the Southeast.
Hurricanes have their greatest impact at the coastal margin where they make land-
fall, causing storm surge, severe beach erosion, inland flooding, and wind-related
damage to both cultural and natural resources.
The warming projected forthe Southeast during the next 50 to 100years will create heat-
related stress for fish and aquatic ecosystems, and may result in a decline in dissolved oxygen
in stream, lakes, and shallow aquatic habitats, leading to fish kills and loss of aquatic species
diversity. Other effects of the projected increases in temperature may include more frequent
outbreaks of shellfish-borne diseases in coastal waters and altered distribution of native
aquatic plants and animals.
Strategic Actions
In addition to continuing to implement the ongoing climate programs described in the in-
troduction to this chapter. Regions 3,4, and 6 intend to support the above long-term goals
through the following strategic actions:
• Sea Level Rise
• Support national NEPs, focusing on the development of tools and implementing
sea level adaptation measures.
• Engage with the South Atlantic Alliance and the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, to pro-
mote resilience and reduce the impacts of (and adapt to) climate change.
• Continue to engage with the National Ocean Policy/NOC and the Gulf Coast Eco-
system Restoration Task Force to assist in adapting to and reducing the effects of
sea level rise.
• Develop pilot regional partnerships with FEMA's Long Term Community Recov-
ery Program to encourage pre-disaster planning and promote incorporation of
sustainable, resilient reconstruction and energy management improvements into
water/wastewater facilities damaged in declared disaster areas.
• Current Data
• Work with EPA Headquarters, states, and tribes to incorporate changing tempera-
tures and hydrologic data into EPA and delegated state programs.
• Energy
• Recruit additional WaterSense partners, providing technical assistance and utiliz-
ing applicable grant programs.
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
• Host Gl training workshops and installation of Gl demonstration projects. Region 4
has an ongoing project with the city of Jacksonville, Florida, to promote implemen-
tation of Gl projects and principles. Region 6 is working with Dallas on a series of
Gl and urban heat island mitigation and adaptation projects.
• Build internal capacity to assist water/wastewater facilities in the assessment of
energy use and ways to reduce energy demands, and in identifying willing part-
ners for which results can be measured to serve as models.
• Develop Regional capacity for and implementation of a Regional Pilot Energy Man-
agement Program for Water/Wastewater Facilities.
• Geologic Sequestration
• Host training and other technical assistance activities for states on implementa-
tion of the Geological Sequestration Rule for Class VI wells, and exercise regula-
tory oversight of DIG permits for C02 sequestration.
• Vulnerable Populations
• Work with vulnerable and historically under-represented communities to ensure
information, access, and attention exists for building the needed climate change
adaptation and mitigation capacities.
• Through a newly established EPA-Tribal Climate Change Network, EPA Region 6
intends to continue to work with tribal communities to provide timely and effective
access to and sharing of climate change information for building mitigation and
adaptation capacities in Indian Country.
Midwest Region
The Midwest's climate is shaped by the presence of the Great Lakes and the region's location
in the middle of the North American continent. This location, far from the temperature-mod-
erating effects of the oceans, experiences large seasonal swings in air temperature from hot,
humid summers to cold winters. Areas from EPA Regions 5 and 7 are included in the Midwest
climate region. In addition. Region 2 is
connected ecologically to this climate
region through the Great Lakes and the
St. Lawrence Seaway. The Great Lakes
are a natural resource of tremendous
significance in the Midwest, containing
20 percent of the planet's fresh surface
water. Much of the region, outside of
the Great Lakes Basin, drains to the Mississippi River, and as such, contributes to long-range
impacts in the Gulf of Mexico. Issues of particular concern in this Region include extreme
variability in precipitation and temperature, and preserving the ecological integrity of the
Great Lakes.
Region 2: http://www.epa.gov/region2/climate/
Region 5: http://www.epa.gov/r5water/
http://www.epa.gov/r5climatechange/
Region 7: http://www.epa.gov/region7/water/si.htm
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Response to Climate Change
Goals
The long-term goals of EPA in the Midwest Region include:
• Use knowledge gained from downscaled climate models and other data to integrate
climate considerations regarding precipitation into NPDES permits and long-term
control plans (LTCPs), taking into account the uncertainty in model results.
• Understand vulnerability of water-related infrastructure and work with partners to
increase resilience of the region's critical infrastructure to extreme storm events.
• Improve the Great Lakes community's understanding of how their ecosystems and
populations will be impacted by climate change and their ability to plan and imple-
ment adaptation measures for those impacts.
• Protect ground water and surface water quality and quantity.
• Protect vulnerable populations.
Strategic Issues
• Variability in precipitation patterns will be a challenge for both drinking water and
wastewater utilities and their systems. More intense rainfall can overload drain-
age systems and water treatment facilities, increasing the risk of waterborne
diseases. This is of particular concern for combined sewer overflow (CSO) com-
munities. Increases in such events are likely to cause greater property damage,
higher insurance rates, a heavier burden on emergency management, increased
cleanup and rebuilding costs, and a growing financial toll on businesses, home-
owners, and insurers.
• In the summer, with increasing evaporation rates and longer periods between
rainfalls, the likelihood of drought will increase, and water levels in rivers,
streams, and wetlands are likely to decline. Water levels in the Great Lakes are
projected to fall between one and two feet by the end of the century (USGCRP,
2009), which may result in significant lengthening of the distance to the lakeshore
in many locations, impacting beaches, coastal ecosystems, dredging require-
ments, infrastructure, and shipping. Declining water levels in the Great Lakes will
cause the migration of coastal habitats. Additionally, climate change impacts may
also have profound effects on agriculture and significant resulting impacts on
water quantity and quality.
• Increased water temperatures will lead to an increased risk of oxygen-poor
or oxygen-free "dead zones" that kill fish and other living organisms. Warmer
water and lower oxygen conditions can more readily mobilize mercury and other
persistent pollutants, which is of concern for lakes with contaminated sediment.
In cases where increasing quantities of contaminants are taken up in the aquatic
food chain, the potential for health hazards will increase for species that eat fish
from the lakes, including humans. Additionally, warming water in the Great Lakes
will increase the threat of invasive species, such as zebra and quagga mussels.
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
• Warmer water may also exacerbate the impacts that nutrient loading has on
water bodies. More intense rainfall could increase fertilizer runoff and other forms
of pollutant loading to water bodies. Increased use of tile and other drainage
management practices as a means to abate flooding of agricultural fields may
also carry unintended consequences of increasing pollutant loading to streams
and lakes.
• The Great Lakes are a bi-national resource, shared and managed jointly with Canada.
Great Lakes climate change work, therefore, has a bi-national management and col-
laboration component.
Strategic Actions
In addition to continuing efforts in core climate change programs such as Gl, WaterSense, and
CRWU, specific actions to achieve the long-term goals in the Midwest Region include:
• Work with the agriculture community to consider and promote approaches such
as agriculture drainage management to improve resilience and lessen water qual-
ity impacts.
• Work with states to adopt and implement EPA's Nutrient Management Framework.
• Review permit applications and issue UIC permits for C02 in UIC Direct Implemen-
tation states. Review primacy packages (SDWA § 1422 revision applications/GS
Class VI applications) and complete the Class VI primacy approval process.
• Work with water utilities to promote energy and water efficiency.
• Engage tribes in federal climate change conversations and continue efforts to
work with tribes and tribal organizations to initiate climate change adaptation
projects and initiatives.
• Continue working with environmental justice populations, especially in CSO commu-
nities, to improve access to climate change information and to consider adaptation
strategies.
Great Plains Region
The Great Plains climate region extends from the Dakotas and eastern half of Montana in
the north to Texas in the south. On the west, it is bounded by the Rocky Mountains and the
Basin and Range geographic
provinces, and the central
lowlands and coastal plain
provinces to the east and to
the south. Parts of 10 states in
three EPA Regions (6,7, and 8)
Region 6: http://www.epa.gov/region6/climatechange/water.htm
Region 7: http://www.epa.gov/region7/water/si.htm
Region 8: http://www.epa.gov/region8/climatechange/
are located in this vast grass-
land prairie, which is home to some 9 million people, with the population expected to grow
to about 14 million by 2050. The population gains will largely be in urban areas.
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Response to Climate Change
Key issues in this region relate to general population growth; loss of snowpack and declin-
ing surface and ground water quality and quantity; competition for water between energy,
agriculture, and public supply; and vulnerability of prairie wetlands, prairie potholes, and
playa lakes.
Goals
The long-term goal of EPA in the Great Plains Region is to work to provide long-term availability
and high quality of water resources and related aquatic habitat and function through:
• Water quality protection and restoration
• Water conservation and efficiency promotion
• Protection of vulnerable populations
Working specifically with partners in the agricultural sector; the renewable energy sector; and
the oil, gas, and mining sectors, as well as land developers and land trusts, will be important in
achieving this goal.
Strategic Issues
• General population growth, and shifts in population from the region's rural to urban
centers, will continue to create demands for water storage to maintain sustainable
water supplies and increase competition among water users (e.g., agricultural and
municipal uses).
• Loss of snowpack in the western portion of the region will further impact water use,
storage, and irrigation practices. This should be taken into consideration as infra-
structure is added in the region.
• Declining surface and ground water quantity and quality, coupled with more frequent
and severe droughts, will continue to exacerbate water shortages in the region.
• Unique aquatic ecosystems such as prairie wetlands, prairie potholes, and playa
lakes will continue to be stressed as changes occur in ground water and surface
water sources.
• Increased nonpoint source pollution (e.g., sediments, phosphorus, and nitrogen) is
expected as increases in storm intensity are observed. This could result in changes to
natural stream morphology and related hydrographs and could negatively impact the
biological function of aquatic ecosystems.
• As in the Midwest climate region, warmer water may also exacerbate the impacts
that nutrient loading has on water bodies. More intense rainfall could increase fertil-
izer runoff and other forms of pollutant loading to water bodies. Increased use of tile
and other drainage management practices as a means to abate flooding of agricul-
tural fields may also carry unintended consequences of increasing pollutant loading
to streams and lakes.
• Water-quality impacts will be amplified by increases in precipitation intensity and
longer periods of low flow in streams.
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
Strategic Actions
In addition to promoting the core climate programs described in the introduction to this chap-
ter, EPA intends to undertake the following efforts in the Great Plains Region:
• Water Quality Protection and Restoration
• Work to reduce nonpoint sources of pollution to rivers and streams by leveraging
the EPA's Office of Water's National Nutrients Strategy.
• Work with partners to incorporate changing precipitation patterns, temperature,
and hydrology into EPA and delegated state program decision frameworks.
• Build geosequestration evaluation, modeling, and permitting expertise within EPA
Regions through technical workshops, seminars, and related training to enhance
staff capacity.
• Exercise regulatory oversight of DIG permitting for carbon sequestration.
• Work with states to adopt and implement EPA's Nutrient Management Framework.
• Water Conservation and Efficiency
• Promote water efficiency and energy efficiency at water and wastewater utilities,
and encourage sustainability by promoting WaterSense, CRE, and water sustain-
ability initiatives such as Gl initiatives workshops and related outreach efforts in
major cities and along the United States-Mexico border.
• Vulnerable Populations
• Work with vulnerable and historically under-represented communities to ensure
the same level of information and access exists for building the needed climate
change adaptation and mitigation capacities.
• Continue to work with tribal communities to provide access to climate change in-
formation, mitigation and adaptation strategies, and funding options to provide the
long-term viability of natural and cultural resources that support Native American
populations.
Southwest Region
The Southwest climate region includes California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and
the westernmost portions of Colorado and Texas. EPA Regions 6,8, and 9 are located in this
area. To the west of the region lies the Pacific Ocean; Mexico borders the southern edge;
and the Rocky Mountains border a large part of the region to the east. The population of this
region, now approximately 54 million, has the fastest growth rate in the nation. The South-
west Region has multiple climatic zones, each facing somewhat different climate changes
impacts. Much of the region is arid with relatively high air temperatures. Several mountain
ranges as well as the Pacific Ocean influence climate and water resources in certain parts
of the region. Water is stored as snowpack during the winter and released to streams in
the spring and early summer, helping to meet increasing water demands. There are three
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Response to Climate Change
r
Region 6: http://www.epa.gov/region6/climatechange/water.htm
Region 8: http://www.epa.gov/region8/climatechange/
Region 9: http://www.epa.gov/region09/climatechange/
major river systems: the
Sacramento-San Joaquin, the
Colorado, and the Rio Grande.
Several huge water storage
and conveyance projects also
divert water from rivers for
more widespread use by agriculture and growing cities. The lack of rainfall and the prospect
of future droughts becoming more severe is a significant concern, especially because the
Southwest continues to lead the nation in population growth.
Goals
The long-term goals of EPA in the Southwest Region are to work with federal, state, interstate,
tribal, and local partners to:
• Increase the number of communities and utilities conducting climate change vulner-
ability assessments and implementing the resulting recommendations.
• Work with partners and stakeholders to evaluate and reduce the impacts of future
drought and flooding on surface and ground water resources.
• Protect water quality and quantity to reduce stress on ecosystems.
• Address sea level rise by working with coastal states, tribes, counties, cities, and fed-
eral partners to enhance adoption of adaptive measures to lessen or avoid significant
adverse effects and to increase resiliency.
Strategic Issues
• Warmer temperatures will reduce mountain snow packs, and peak spring runoff from
snow melt will shift to earlier in the season, leading to and increasing the shortage of
fresh water during the summer. A longer and hotter warm season will likely result in
longer periods of extremely low flow and lower minimum flows in late summer. Water
supply systems that have no storage or limited storage (e.g., small municipal reser-
voirs) may suffer seasonal shortages in summer.
• The magnitude of projected temperature increases for the Southwest, particularly
when combined with urban heat island effects for major cities such as Phoenix,
Albuquerque, Las Vegas, and many California cities, represents significant stresses to
health, energy, and water supply in a region that already experiences very high sum-
mer temperatures.
• Reduced ground water supply due to a lack of recharge will be of concern.
• Warmer ocean temperatures may decrease productivity by stopping entrainment of
deep supplies of nutrients. The resulting reductions in commercial species will need
to be addressed to support continued production of fisheries and aquatic life.
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
• Increased frequency and altered timing of flooding will increase risks to people,
ecosystems, and infrastructure. Increased flood risk is likely to result from a combina-
tion of decreased snow cover on the lower slopes of high mountains and an increased
percentage of winter precipitation falling as rain and therefore running off more
rapidly.
• Sea levels are rising and contributing to the loss of wetlands and infrastructure lo-
cated along coastal corridors.
• The magnitude and frequency of wildfires have increased over the last 30 years,
which severely impacts water quality in streams, creeks, rivers, lakes, and estuaries.
Strategic Actions
In addition to continuing to implement the ongoing climate programs described in the introduc-
tion to this chapter, EPA intends to undertake the following efforts in the Southwest:
• Encourage funding programs to fund Gl, energy and water-efficient upgrades to infra-
structure, and water conservation.
• Work through the California Water and Energy Project (an interagency partnership) as
well as the California Financing Coordinating Committee to leverage funding to sup-
port sustainable water infrastructure and water-use efficiency projects.
• Continue to provide funding for tribal sustainable water infrastructure projects in
coordination with the Indian Health Services.
• Build partners' and stakeholders' understanding of, and the capacity to respond to,
risks of climate change and water.
• Work with states and local governments to expand water sources, storage, and
recovery options (e.g., aquifer storage and recharge, water reuse, desalination) for
areas experiencing snow pack loss and drought.
Pacific Northwest Region
The Pacific Northwest climate region includes Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and the western
third of Montana. It is bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the west and the Rocky Mountains
on the east and includes
EPA Region 10 and part of
Region 8. Canada borders
the region to the north.
Of primary concern are
Region 8: http://www.epa.gov/region8/climatechange/
Region 10: http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/ECOCOMM.NSF/
climate+change/cc
current impacts related to
changes in snowpack, stream flows, sea level, forests, and other important aspects of life in
the Northwest, with more severe impacts expected over the coming decades in response to
continued and more rapid climate change.
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Response to Climate Change
Goals
The long-term goals of EPA in the Northwest Region are to work with federal, state, interstate,
tribal, and local partners to increase sustainability and reduce vulnerability of communities
and infrastructure, including by conserving water and increasing infiltration, and to partner
with other federal agencies and the regional CSC to coordinate and leverage climate research
and other activities.
Strategic Issues
• Salmon and other coldwater species will experience additional stresses as a result of
rising water temperatures and declining summer streamflows.
• Sea level rise along vulnerable coastlines will result in increased erosion and loss of
land.
• Declining springtime snowpack will lead to reduced summer streamflows, straining
water availability for all uses.
• Increased insect outbreaks, wildfires, and changing species composition in forests
will pose challenges for ecosystems and the forest products industry.
• Water supplies will become increasingly scarce, calling fortradeoffs among compet-
ing uses, and potentially leading to conflict.
• Increased frequency of flooding will increase risk to people, ecosystems, and infra-
structure.
• Projected heavier winter rainfall may cause an increase in saturated soils and there-
fore an increased number of landslides, particularly where there have been intensive
development or forest practices on unstable slopes.
• Agriculture, ranching, and natural lands—already under pressure due to an increas-
ingly limited water supply—are very likely to be further stressed by rising tempera-
tures.
Strategic Actions
In addition to continuing to implement the ongoing climate programs described in the introduc-
tion to this chapter, EPA intends to undertake the following efforts in the Northwest Region:
• Sustainability
• Encourage sustainable infrastructure approaches.
• Implement water conservation measures.
• Expand use of Gl.
• Encourage communities and utilities to conduct vulnerability assessments and
implement resulting recommendations.
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
• Water Quality
• Implement water quality programs factoring in climate change to reduce stress on
the ecosystem.
• Collaboration
• Collaborate with the LCCs.
• Engage in Western Governors Association climate adaptation activities.
• Partner with the CSC and otherfederal agencies.
• Engage tribes in federal climate conversations and activities.
Montane Region
The Montane region, in EPA Regions 8,9, and 10, includes three glaciated mountain ranges:
the Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada, and the Cascades. These areas are unique in that they
rely on winter snow accumulation for their water supply. Sensitive ecological communities
include bogs and fens. Montane glaciers and snowfields are reservoirs of water for the hu-
man populations and ecological communities at lower elevations.
Region 8: http://www.epa.gov/region8/climatechange/
Region 9: http://www.epa.gov/region09/climatechange/
Region 10: http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/water.nsf/homepage/water
Most ecosystems in the
North American Montane
Region are predicted to
slowly migrate and shift
their distribution toward
\
the north in response to
warming temperatures. However, the alpine areas are often distributed as small, isolated
regions surrounded by other habitats. These areas can be disconnected from each other by
wide stretches of land used for timber production, ranching, or other uses. Instead of shifts
in latitude, alpine vegetation and animals will be limited to shifts in altitude, unless connec-
tions between suitable habitats can be made. [Jackson, 2006]
Goals
The goal of EPA in the Montane Region is to protect the water quality and biological integrity
of the Montane Region and increase the region's resilience to climate change, through water
quality and habitat protection and restoration.
Strategic Issues
• A warmer climate will cause lower elevation habitats to move into higher zones,
encroaching on alpine and sub-alpine habitats.
• High-elevation plants and animals will lose habitat area as they move higher, with
some "disappearing off the tops of mountains."
• Rising temperatures will increase the importance of connections between mountain
areas.
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Response to Climate Change
• Rising temperatures may cause mountain snow to melt earlier and faster in spring,
shifting the timing and distribution of runoff. This in turn affects the availability of fresh
water for natural systems and for human uses. Earlier melting leads to drier conditions
for the balance of the water year, with increased fire frequency and intensity.
• Water supplies will become increasingly scarce, calling fortradeoffs among compet-
ing uses and leading to conflict.
• Increased frequency and altered timing of flooding will increase risks to people, eco-
systems, and infrastructure.
• Projected increases in temperature, evaporation, and drought frequency add to con-
cerns about the region's declining water resources.
• Climate change is likely to affect native plant and animal species by altering key habi-
tats such as the wetland ecosystems known as montane fens or playa lakes.
Strategic Actions
In addition to continuing efforts in core climate change programs described in the introduction
to this chapter, specific actions relative to the Montane Region include:
• Increase protection and restoration of wetlands to optimize percolation of surface
water into ground water.
• Increase protection and restoration of riparian areas to reduce erosion during storm
events and snow melt periods and thereby protect water quality.
• Increase protection of headwater streams and wetlands to protect the quality of mon-
tane water sources in the midst of precipitation and runoff-timing uncertainties.
• Collaborate with the USFWS, other DOI agencies, states, tribes, and others involved
in LCCs in efforts to develop landscape-scale strategies to address climate change
issues on a bio-regional basis.
• Coordinate climate change adaptation actions with federal agencies (given the large
amount of federal agency holdings in the Montane Region), landholders, and others.
• Partner with other federal agencies to coordinate and leverage climate research and
other activities.
• Engage tribes in federal climate conversations and activities.
Alaska Region
Over the past 50 years, Alaska has warmed at more than twice the average rate of the rest of
the United States. Its annual average temperature has increased 3.4°F, while winters have
warmed by 6.3°F. The
higher temperatures are R jon 1Q: http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/water.nsf/homepage/water
already causing earlier I
spring snowmelt, reduced
sea ice, widespread glacier retreat, and permafrost warming. The observed changes are con-
sistent with climate model projections of greater warming over Alaska, especially in winter.
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
as compared to the rest of the country. Climate models also project increases in precipitation
over Alaska. Simultaneous increases in evaporation due to higher air temperatures, however,
are expected to lead to drier conditions overall, with reduced soil moisture. Average an-
nual temperatures are projected to rise between 5 and 13°F by late this century. Increasing
acidification of Alaskan waters presents a clear threat to Alaska's commercial fisheries and
subsistence communities (USGCRP, 2009a).
Goals
• Design and build infrastructure that can withstand warmer conditions and thawing
permafrost, flooding, and fire.
• Ensure adequate water supplies for communities dependent on disappearing sources.
• Protect water quality to reduce stress on the ecosystems.
Strategic Issues
• Longer summers and higher temperatures are causing drier conditions, despite trends
in increased precipitation. Insect outbreaks and wildfires are increasing with warm-
ing.
• A warmer climate will cause freshwater and saltwater species to move further north
or into higher zones.
• As permafrost continues to thaw and temperatures rise, some lakes and ponds are
beginning to disappear. This impacts drinking water sources and reduces wetland
habitat while presenting a challenge forthe ecosystem and the people who depend
on its natural resources.
• Permafrost thaw has also caused numerous land slumps along riverbanks, which can
have an impact on water quality (increasing turbidity) with documented impacts to
drinking water in some Alaskan communities.
• Coastal storms increase risks to villages and fishing fleets. The combination of losing
their protective sea ice buffer, increasing storm activity, and thawing coastal per-
mafrost is causing some coastal communities to crumble into the sea. Increasing
storm activity delays barge operations that supply coastal communities with fuel. The
increased storm intensity puts fishing fleets at higher risk.
• Displacement of marine species will affect key fisheries. Thawing sea ice is moving
the location and limiting the extent of plankton blooms. As plankton moves to deeper
waters, it is less available to species and the food chain that depends on it, including
humans dependent on these species for subsistence or economic livelihood.
• Thawing permafrost damages roads, runways, water and sewer systems, and other
infrastructure.
• Opening of the Arctic from melting sea ice will create new opportunities for shipping,
resource exploration and extraction, and tourism; there may be challenges caused by
the increased traffic. Other key issues are the potential for the introduction of invasive
species, impacts on subsistence activities, and national security concerns.
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Response to Climate Change
Strategic Actions
In addition to continuing to implement the ongoing climate programs described in the introduc-
tion to this chapter, EPA intends to undertake the following work in Alaska:
• Infrastructure
• Encourage sustainable infrastructure approaches.
• Encourage communities and utilities to conduct vulnerability assessments and
implement resulting recommendations.
• Encourage energy-efficient motors and pumps in infrastructure to reduce GHG
emissions.
• Water Quality and Water Supply
• Expand use of Gl to delay stormwater runoff, mimic timing closer to the natural
regime, and increase infiltration.
• Collaboration
• Collaborate with the Alaska Climate Change Executive Roundtable and the LCCs
and Climate Science Center in Alaska.
• Partner with other federal agencies to coordinate and leverage climate research
and other activities.
• Engage tribes in federal climate conversations and activities.
• Work with key federal, state, local, and tribal governments to assist communities
that are evaluating relocation options as potential adaptation actions.
Caribbean Islands Region
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, part of EPA Region 2, are located in the northeastern
Caribbean Sea and are of volcanic origin. Puerto Rico (PR), including its offshore islands,
covers a total area of 3,435 square miles. The main island of PR has three principal physio-
graphic areas: the alluvial coastal plains, karst, and the central mountainous interior. Land
surface elevations range from mean sea level to 4,389 feet above mean sea level. PR is home
to approximately 3.9 million people, 70% of whom reside in coastal areas. Annual rainfall in
PR ranges from about 30 inches in the western
end of the south coast to about 160 inches near Regj()n 2. http://www.epa.gov/region2/climate/
the top of the El Yunque Rainforest. Surface water I
provides approximately 75% of the population's
freshwater needs. However, aquifers also play an important role in providing fresh water,
especially to populations in the south coast and to the industrial sector.
The U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), including the islands of St. John, St. Thomas, and St. Croix,
cover a total area of 133 square miles. St. Thomas and St. John are characterized by steep
topography while St. Croix is characterized by lower hills. Precipitation is the only natural
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
source of fresh water on the islands. The population of the USVI relies on rooftop-rainfall
catchments, large-scale desalination of seawater, and ground water.
The sensitive coastal ecosystems and critical infrastructure of the Caribbean Islands face
difficulty due to sea level rise, tropical storms, and flooding from heavy rain. Coral reefs are
under stress from warmer temperatures and ocean acidification. Water supplies are threat-
ened due to both drought and saline contamination of aquifers.
Goals
The long-term goals of EPA in the Caribbean Region include:
• Work with partners to understand the vulnerability of coastal wetlands and their
migration potential, and to protect the most vulnerable areas.
• Work with partners to understand the vulnerability of coastal communities and water-
related infrastructure and to increase their resilience to extreme storm events.
• Increase understanding of the role of multiple stressors plus climate change on eco-
systems and water-related infrastructure.
Strategic Issues
• Areas with limited ability for wetlands migration will see marked reductions in their
ability to provide ecosystem services and will be increasingly vulnerable to intense
storm damage in the future.
• Critical infrastructure (e.g., ports, airports, power plants, and sewage treatment
facilities) in PR and the USVI located in the coastal zone will be vulnerable to storm
surges, sea level rise, and the simultaneous occurrence of both.
• Many hurricanes and coastal inundations are accompanied by heavy rains and river/
stream floods, which impact water quality and stream morphology.
• Rising sea levels cause intrusion of salt water into the underground freshwater lens,
contaminating the supply of usable ground water and reducing the freshwater supply
forthe Caribbean Islands.
• Higher ambient water temperatures and degradation of water quality, including
adjustments in pH due to acidification, may affect production rates of aquaculture fa-
cilities and their susceptibility to diseases such as microbial infections and parasitic
infestations. Presently, there are no aquaculture facilities operating in the Caribbean,
although a few NPDES permits have been issued.
• Recent events of increased sea surface temperatures have caused stress to coral
reefs in the USVI and PR. Increasing sea surface temperatures have the potential to
reduce the stability of corals, especially in the presence of stresses from the existing
land-based sources of pollution.
• Ocean acidification may potentially diminish the quality of the reefs by impeding the
calcification process, increasing carbon in the water, altering ocean chemistry, and
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Response to Climate Change
making calcium less available for calcification. Lower pH could also accelerate ero-
sion of existing structures.
• Longer periods of drought are expected to occur and may produce an increase in
the energy and costs associated with the production of drinking water. This will be
particularly pertinent in the USVI, where desalination is one of the main sources of
drinking water.
Strategic Actions
In addition to continuing to implement the ongoing climate programs described in the intro-
duction to this chapter:
• Support the development of LIDAR images forthe Caribbean Region in orderto pro-
vide more refined data for modeling purposes.
• Support the integration of climate change considerations into FEMA, Commonwealth,
and municipal hazard mitigation plans.
• Promote increased use of Gl in the Caribbean to enhance resilience by absorbing and
infiltrating stormwater and preventing flooding and pollution impacts by providing out-
reach and education to the public and to design and building professionals. Support
PR in the development of tsunami-ready communities.
• Partner with the Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System (CariCOOS), the Na-
tional Weather Service, and other relevant federal and Commonwealth agencies to
disseminate information and provide outreach to managers of PR's water infrastruc-
ture with regard to current trends.
• Support and encourage increased resilience of water infrastructure through physical
upgrades, geomorphic feature protection (e.g., barrier islands, mangrove islets, eoli-
anites, beach rock, and dunes), building code revisions, and working with insurance
companies so they implement disaster risk reduction measures in the underwriting
criteria of their policies.
• Engage environmental justice (EJ) populations in education on climate change im-
pacts and planning for climate change adaptation.
Pacific Islands Region
The Pacific Islands region in EPA Region 9 encompasses the Hawaiian Islands as well as
the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands, including the territories of American Samoa, the Common-
wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and Guam.
Region 9: http://www.epa.gov/region09/climatechange/
The Pacific Islands are more vulnerable
to climate change than nearly any other
region in the United States. Key vulner-
abilities include availability of fresh water, adverse impacts to coastal and marine ecosys-
tems, and exposure to hazards, including sea level rise and inundation.
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
Goals
Design and build infrastructure that can withstand storms, flooding, salt spray, and
fire.
Protect existing drinking water supplies and ensure adequate supplies for communi-
ties dependent on disappearing sources.
Encourage communities and utilities to conduct vulnerability assessments and imple-
ment resulting recommendations.
Work with local governments on disaster planning and response, and long-term plans
to protect infrastructure and human safety.
Protect coral reefs, mangroves, and other sensitive ecosystems.
Educate local and cultural leaders on the impacts of climate change and engage
them in planning for climate change adaptation.
Strategic Issues
Rising sea levels, higher sea temperatures, and ocean acidification associated with
climate change are further degrading coral reefs already stressed by overfishing and
pollution. Their loss diminishes ecological heritage, shoreline protection, and food
supply from the sea, and results in a decline in income from ecotourism in the Pacific
Island communities, where tourism is one of the largest industries.
The western Pacific already experiences the highest rate of Category 4 and 5 storms.
Climate change may bring more frequent and higher energy storms resulting in po-
tentially catastrophic damage to island infrastructure. This degree of damage could
cripple the economies of Pacific Island communities for significant periods of time,
not only impairing economic development, but also the ability of local governments to
ensure delivery of basic water and sewer and other public health services.
Sea level rise has multiple implications for Pacific Island communities:
• For the low-lying atolls, entire islands may be submerged within a generation and
may result in environmental refugees seeking new homes.
• For some low-lying islands, sea level rise can result in "wash over," in which
islands, or portions of islands, are submerged by waves during large storm events.
This results in saltwater contamination of agricultural lands, significantly decreas-
ing the productivity of those lands. This loss of agricultural productivity has an
acute impact on the largely subsistence-based economies of these communities.
• For many of the islands, sea level rise has an immediate and accelerated impact
on coastal erosion, which affects water quality, coral reef health, coastal infra-
structure, available land, and culturally significant sites.
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Response to Climate Change
• Sea level rise increases the potential for saltwater intrusion into the sole source
aquifers upon which many Pacific Islands rely for drinking water. There are few
or no readily accessible alternative drinking water options when a community is
confronted with the loss of productivity of a sole source aquifer.
Strategic Actions
In addition to continuing to implement the ongoing climate programs described in the intro-
duction to this chapter:
• Work with local, state, and federal agencies, as well as local educational institutions,
to ensure protocols are in place to identify key drinking water resources, monitor wa-
ter quality, and develop long-term drinking water protection and management plans.
• Work with local, state, and federal agencies to leverage capital improvement funds to
develop water and wastewater infrastructure designed to be resilient to the effects of
climate change.
• Develop biological criteria as a component of water quality standards as a tool for
coral reef protection.
• Use permitting authorities and enforcement to protect drinking water and near-shore
water quality consistent with the requirements of the CWA.
• Work with local, state, and federal agencies to invest in local utility managers and
employees for the long term so they have the skills and resources to consistently
protect public health and safety, even in the event of catastrophic storm events.
Collaboratively identify best management practices that are institutionalized through
standard operating procedures.
• Work with local, state, and federal agencies to reduce reliance on fossil fuels through
energy audits, conservation incentives, and investment in renewable energy sources.
This approach will reduce water quality impacts associated with oil spills and de-
velop an energy infrastructure that may be more resilient to severe storm events.
• Work with local, state, and federal agencies, as well as local educational institutions,
to reduce stressors to coral reef health (e.g., sedimentation and impacts from fishing
and recreation) and to protect coral reef ecosystems in perpetuity.
• Work with local, state, and federal agencies to build awareness of the potential
effects of climate change and opportunities to reduce GHG emissions and adapt to
impacts.
• Engage cultural leaders and EJ populations in education on climate change impacts
and planning for climate change adaptation.
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Geographic Climate Regions 89
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A. Goal 17: Communication, Collaboration, and Training
Strategic Action 51: Continue building the communication, collaboration, and training
mechanisms needed to effectively increase adaptive capacity at the federal, tribal, state, and
local levels.
The NWP intends to continue building the communication, collaboration, and training mecha-
nisms needed to effectively increase adaptive capacity at the federal, tribal, state, and local
levels, including nongovernmental and private sector stakeholders.
Communicating Effectively
Communication involves three elements: the audience, the message, and the medium. This
2012 Strategy describes the messages, including:
• Climate change poses threats to water resources
and the NWP's mission.
• Ecosystem services associated with water are
valuable resources for modulating climate impacts.
• Water management strategies can reduce green-
house gas emissions and increase resilience to
climate change.
• Programmatic actions are being taken to address
climate change.
• Information and tools are needed to inform action.
• Collaboration is essential for shared learning and
problem solving.
As described earlier, there are many stakeholders with
interests and responsibilities for protecting the nation's
water resources. Some of the audiences the NWP intends
to communicate with include:
• State and tribal co-regulators who need informa-
tion and tools to adapt their programs.
Examples of Collaborative
Partnership Programs
Infrastructure:
• Source Water Collaborative
• Rural Community Assistance
Partnership
• Capacity Development Program
• Effective Utility Management
Ocean and Coastal Waters:
• National Ocean Council
• National Estuary Programs
Watersheds and Wetlands:
• Healthy Watersheds Initiative
Water Quality:
• Green Infrastructure Initiative
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
The water utility opera-
tors who need tools to
calibrate their design
and management
practices for protecting
infrastructure from cli-
mate change impacts.
Natural resource pro-
fessionals who protect
water quality and eco-
logical integrity from
compounding stress-
ors, including climate
change.
Tribal communities that
have geographically
and culturally specific
challenges for protect-
ing and preserving their
freshwater resources
and communities.
Economically disadvantaged communities that may already have a deficit in the abil-
ity to respond to impacts.
Communities that are at risk from sea level rise, flood, and drought.
The public and stakeholders who want to know how the federal government is ad-
dressing climate change.
x—
The private sector who are working to protect their
investments while responsibly managing natural
resources.
Federal agencies with which EPA collaborates.
Examples of Regional Collaboration Goals:
Region 1 Federal Partners Group
http://www.epa.gov/region1/eco/energy/adaptation-
efforts-epane.html.
Region 4 Southeast Natural Resources Leadership Group
http://www.epa.gov/region4/topics/envmanagement/
senrlg/index.htm.
Region 9 Water-Energy Team of the California Climate
Action Team (WET-CAT)
http://www.climatechange.ca.gov/wetcat/index.html.
• Great Lakes Statement of Common Purpose
http://collaborate.csc.noaa.gov/nroc/default.aspx.
Gulf of Mexico Alliance Action Plan II for Healthy and
Resilient Coasts, 2009-2014
http://www.gulf of mexicoalliance.org/pdf s/ap2_fina!2.
pdf?#Page=8.
In addition to the avenues discussed throughout this document
for training and tool development, the NWP intends to provide
communication outlets including:
• National Water Program Climate Change & Water
Website
• EPA Climate Change & Water News E-Newsletter
• Climate Ready Water Utilities website and toolbox
• Webcasts and Webinars -to provide opportunities for
targeted training
Examples of Federal
Collaborative Forums
Interagency Climate Change
Adaptation Task Force,
Freshwater Workgroup
White House Office of
Science & Technology Policy
Subcommittee on Water
Availability and Quality
U.S. Global Change Research
Program
Climate Change Adaptation
WorkGroup
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Response to Climate Change
• Ongoing dialogue forums with stakeholder groups and co-regulators such as the
State-Tribal Climate Change Council (STC3)
• Speaker Series - for EPA employees to hear from experts
• Annual reports and periodic updates
The NWP intends to continue working with partners and stakeholders to develop communi-
cation mechanisms to expand access to information and resources for general and targeted
audiences.
Working in Collaboration
Existing EPA partnership programs provide ready access to networks of key entities and can
be leveraged to address the challenges posed by climate change while minimizing the "over-
head" involved in collaboration. Examples of existing programs and initiatives are referenced
throughout this document, and some are noted in the text box below.
The NWP intends to work to expand opportunities for
dialogue through both formal and informal discus-
sion. For example, ACWI and the National Drinking
Water Advisory Committee (NDWAC) are key Federal
Advisory Committees (FACAs). The NWP's STC3 is an
important discussion forum with state and tribal co-
regulators. Collaboration with sector partnerships is a
particularly important avenue for promoting research,
pilots, and communication, including associations such
as the Water Utility Climate Alliance (WUCA), WRF, and
the WERF.
Climate impacts are local, as are adaptation strategies;
hence, many EPA Regions are building collaborations
with state, tribal, and local government agencies as
well as with other federal agencies to more effectively
deliver services. Information on Regional partnerships
can be found in Chapter V, Geographic Climate Re-
gions.
Federal partnerships are also essential to leveraging
resources and building national capability for adapta-
tion. The NWP intends to continue to strengthen and
expand our coordination on climate change adaptation
and mitigation with other federal agencies at both the
national and regional levels.
Delivering Tools and Training
Many of the Strategic Actions throughout this 2012
Strategy are driven by the over-riding need to improve
Federal Sources of Climate
Change Information
EPA
Water & Climate Change: http://water.epa.
gov/scitech/climatechange
Climate Ready Water Utilities:
http://www.water.epa.gov/crwu
Climate Ready Estuaries:
http://www.epa.gov/cre/
Climate Change:
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/
NOAA
Climate Service: http://www.climate.gov
RISAs: http://www.research.noaa.gov/
climate/t_regional.html
Coasts: http://www.csc.noaa.gov/
digitalcoast/tools/index.html
Interagency
USGCRP: http://www.globalchange.gov
Smartcoasts: http://stormsmartcoasts.org/
http://www.epa.gov/adr/index.html
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Cross-Cutting Program Support 93
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
the translation of climate impact projections into materials tailored for NWP partners and
constituents, including regionally specific information. The NWP intends to work to make in-
formation available, including training to help practitioners apply new tools. The NWP intends
to collaborate with various forums for delivering the information and training.
National Water Program Implementation
• The core CWA, SDWA, and other statutorily authorized programs within the NWP
have training forums such as the NPDES Permit Writers training, the Watershed
Academy, the Water Quality Standards Academy, and the Drinking Water Capacity
Development Program that reach out to practitioners.
• Partner organizations host and co-sponsor training sessions, such as those based
on the Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water Infrastructure Sustainability Policyto
promote best practices for effective utility management, energy management, and
advanced asset management, and related topics such as Gl and LID.
• Conflict Resolution is a field that can help to build skills for collaborating and consen-
sus building for working effectively with stakeholders. The NWP intends to work with
partners and stakeholders to draw on the expertise and resources of the Conflict Pre-
vention and Resolution Center (CPRC) within EPA's Office of General Counsel as well
as the Regional Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Specialists to conduct training.
Decision Support
• The USGCRP delivers science and science translation to inform adaptation planning.
• Federal partners are building regional capabilities, such as NIDIS, NOAA RISAs, and
the LCCs and CSCs launched by DOI.
• The interagency CCAWWG, under the leadership of the Bureau of Reclamation, is
working to establish a training program for water resource managers.
B. Goal 18: Tracking Progress and Measuring Outcomes
Strategic Action 52: Adopt a phased approach to track programmatic progress towards Stra-
tegic Actions; achieve commitments reflected in the Agency Strategic Plan; work with an
EPA workgroup to develop outcome measures.
Tracking and measuring progress towards a stated goal provides information about the ef-
ficacy of the actions taken to inform adaptive management; provides a way to share informa-
tion and lessons learned with others working toward similar ends; and provides transparency
to stakeholders who have an interest in the process or outcome. Devising meaningful and
practical indicators for tracking progress, however, is complex. It is preferable to measure
outcomes rather than outputs, but outcomes often take many years to realize and may be hard
to quantify. The NWP intends to work to develop and refine these measures, including ways
to measure outcomes. Tracking progress for climate change adaptation poses its own chal-
lenges, including how to evaluate avoided losses.
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Response to Climate Change
NWP Phased Approach for Indicators of Progress
Currently, the most amenable approach for evaluating progress is to assess institutional
progress toward becoming a resilient and adaptive program. The NWP is adopting a phased
approach that uses indicators of progress and emphasizes peer-to-peer learning ratherthan a
top-down mandate. A similar approach is in use in the United Kingdom (UK DEFRA, 2010).
Initially, the NWP Phased Approach intends to track the NWP's institutional process and
progress \n incorporating climate change considerations into EPA programs. Outputsvj\\\ not
be counted per se; rather, the collectivity of actions and their products will demonstrate the
weight of evidence for determining the status of adaptation activities. An annual reporting pro-
cess will assemble information for evaluating and publicly reporting progress. The elements to
be assessed include progress toward achieving the stated Goals and Strategic Actions (Head-
quarters programs) and progress toward implementing Regional strategies. The NWP intends
to work with its State-Tribal Climate Change Council and other partners to refine this approach
and develop a model that could be useable by others at their discretion.
Table 5 presents a summary of the seven phases. Recognizing that it may take years or de-
cades to achieve adaptive preparedness and resilience, the NWP designed phases for which
progress could be demonstrated within a relatively short time frame (1 to 3 years).
In addition to the process to track progress described in Table 5, EPA's 2011-2015 Strategic
Plan includes measures for climate change adaptation and mitigation actions, listed in
Table 6. This 2012 Strategy reflects the NWP's commitment to achieve these measures. An
EPA workgroup has undertaken a process to refine and update the Agency's measures to
reflect outcomes toward desired objectives. The NWP intends to work with the above men-
tioned EPA workgroup to develop outcome measures applicable to the NWP.
Table 5: Phases of Adaptive Management
111 VV r
NWP Phases Explanation Examples of Evidence of Achievement _
1. Initiation
Conduct a
screening
assessment
of potential
implications
of climate
change to
mission, pro-
grams, and
operations.
• Preliminary information is developed to
evaluate relevance of climate change to the
mission or program; a decision is made as
to whetherto prepare a response to climate
change;further exploration of climate
change implications has been authorized.
• Accountabilities and responsibilities are
assigned at appropriate levels within the
organization and resources are available to
develop a more in-depth assessment.
I
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
Table 5: Phases of Adaptive Management
2. Assess-
ment
3. Response
Development
Conduct
a broader
review to
understand
how climate
change
affects the
resources in
question.
Work with
stakeholders
to develop an
understand-
ing of the
implications
of climate
change to the
mission, pro-
grams, and
operations.
Iden-
tify changes
necessary
to continue
to reach pro-
gram mission
and goals.
Develop initial
action plan.
Identify and
seekthe re-
search, infor-
mation, and
tools needed
to support
actions.
Begin to build
the body of
tools, infor-
mation, and
partnerships
needed to
build capacity
internally and
externally.
• Review science literature and assessments
to understand how climate change affects
the resources being protected (threatto
mission); Engage internal staff and external
stakeholders in evaluation.
• Identify climate change issues and con-
cerns and communicate with internal and
external stakeholders and partners.
• Identify which specific programs are threat-
ened and what specific information ortools
need to be developed.
• Communicate findings to partners and
stakeholders and engage them in dialogue
on building adaptive capacity.
• Develop initial program vision and goals for
responding to climate change.
• Identify needed response actions or chang-
es that will a How the organization to begin
to address climate impacts on its mission.
• Initiate strategies and actions in a few key
areas to begin to build organizational abil-
ity to use climate information in decision
processes.
• Identify program partners' needs for build-
ing adaptive capacity.
• Begin working with an external "community
of practice" to engage in tool and program
development.
• Rudimentary methods are put in place to
track progress.
• Develop a research strategy and partner-
ships to obtain additional needed research.
2^TV
I)
3^^^^
J
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Response to Climate Change
Table 5: Phases of Adaptive Management (cont.)
4. Initial
Implemen-
tation
5. Robust
Implemen-
tation
6. Main-
streaming
7. Monitoring
and Adaptive
Management
Initiate
actions in se-
lected priority
programs or
projects.
Programs are
underway
and lessons
learned are
being applied
to additional
programs and
projects.
Climate is an
embedded,
componentof
the program.
Continue to
monitorand
integrate
performance.
new informa-
tion, and les-
sons learned
into programs
and plans.
• Make it clear within the organization that
incorporating climate change into programs
is critical.
• Initiate actions and plans identified in
StepS.
• Initiate cooperative projects with partners.
• Develop a range of needed information and
tools.
• Begin to institute changes to incorporate
climate change into core programs.
• Some program partners have begun to
implement response actions.
• Lessons learned are evaluated and strate-
gies are refined.
• Efforts are initiated to consider climate
change in additional, or more complex.
program elements.
• Continue to institute institutional changes
to incorporate climate change into core
programs.
• External communities of practice are in
place to support ongoing capacity develop-
ment.
• The organization's culture and policies are
aligned with responding to climate change.
• All staff have a basic understanding of
climate change causes and impacts.
• All relevant programs, activities, and deci-
sion processes intrinsically incorporate
climate change.
• Methods for evaluating outcomes are in
place.
• Progress is evaluated and needed changes
are implemented.
• As impacts of climate change unfold.
climate change impacts and organizational
responses are reassessed.
4
5
^^
A
6
7
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Table 6: 2O11-2O15 EPA Strategic Plan National Water Program
Commitments
Goal 1: Taking Action on Climate Change and Improving Air Quality. Reduce green-
house gas emissions and develop adaptation strategies to address climate change,
and protect and improve air quality.
Objective 1.1: Address Climate Change. Reduce the threats posed by climate change
by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and taking actions that help communities and
ecosystems become more resilient to the effects of climate change.
Water-Related
Strategic
Measures:
• By 2015, additional programs from across EPA will promote practices to
help Americans save energy and conserve resources, leading to expected
greenhouse gas emissions reductions of 740.1 MMTC02 Eq.from a baseline
without adoption of efficient practices.
The WaterSense Program will contribute to achieving greenhouse gas
reduction goals through 2015.
• By 2015, EPA will integrate climate change science trend and scenario in-
fo r m a t io n i nto five major scientific models and/or decision-support tools used
in implementing Agency environmental management programs to further EPA's
mission, consistent with existing authorities.
Under the CRWU initiative, the NWP will deploy an upgraded version of
the GREAT, as well as a comprehensive toolbox of water-related climate
resources by the end of 2012, to better assist water and wastewater utili-
ties in becoming more resilient to climate change.
• By 2015, EPA will account for climate change by integrating climate change
science trend and scenario information into five rule-making processesto
further EPA's mission, consistent with existing authorities.
The NWP will incorporate climate change considerations in the develop-
ment and implementation of a rulemaking by 2015.
• By 2015, EPA will build resilience to climate change by integrating con-
siderations of climate change impacts and adaptive measures into five major
grant, loan, contract, ortechnical assistance programs\.o further EPA's mis-
sion, consistent with existing authorities.
The NWP will help NEP grantees consider as a potential priority climate
adaptation and resilience in their Comprehensive Conservation and Man-
agement Plans s and develop climate adaptation plans and implementa-
tion strategies where considered a priority.
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Response to Climate Change
C. Goal 19: Climate Change and Water Research Needs
Strategic Action 53: Work with the EPA's Office of Research and Development, other water
science agencies, and the water research community to further define needs and develop re-
search opportunities to deliver the information needed to support implementation of the 2012
Strategy, including providing the decision support tools needed by water resource managers.
This section describes the types of research questions that need to be addressed to support
the Strategic Actions in this 2012 Strategy. In general, research for adaptation should provide
decision support to manage risk in an evolving context under ranges of uncertainty. Implemen-
tation of this strategy will incorporate new research and tools as they become available.
The NWP collaborates with and relies on the broader research community, including EPA
ORD, federal science agencies (e.g., USGS, NOAA, USGCRP), drinking water and water quality
research associations (e.g., WRF, WERF), academia, and others. The NWP is also a member of
CCAWWG, a "working level" forum for sharing expertise and planning to build climate adapta-
tion tools and methods across federal agencies. These collaborations have already produced
a range of reports and inventories on research needs and activities. (See: CCAWWG, 2011;
WRF, 2011; EPA-ORD, 2012.) The NWP intends to continue to work with the water research
community to further define needs and develop collaborative and coordinated research op-
portunities to deliver the information needed by water resource managers.
Cross-Cutting Research Needs
A. Data: Update data for precipitation, storm frequency, and streamflow, and develop
new methods for analyzing projected changes, in collaboration with other federal
agencies.
1. Of particular concern are the storm frequency, duration, and intensity estimates
and low-flow conditions in rivers and streams at the HUC 12 watershed level.
2. Improve methods to address non-stationarity, particularly improving clarity of pre-
cipitation data used in wastewater, drinking water, and stormwater management
systems design, operation, and planning (e.g., TP40, Atlas 14).
3. Enhance flow estimation using NHDPIus.
B. Decision Support: Integrate non-stationarity and recent data into decision support
tools for water utilities and water quality managers to use in planning across a
range of plausible climate change scenarios.
1. Research Translation: Produce annual or biennial synthesis reports of recent re-
search and implications for decision-makers to inform the water resource manage-
ment community.
2. Modify climate model outputs that can be used as inputs for hydrologic and man-
agement models at the spatial and temporal scales relevant to decision-makers.
3. Develop regionally specific information (include description of observed and pro-
jected impacts, scenarios, etc.) for communicating with communities and tribes.
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
4. Develop models that integrate hydrology, land cover, air quality, and economics
for comprehensive assessment and comparison of climate change mitigation and
adaptation policies for local, state, and federal governments.
5. Develop a rapid response protocol to incorporate the results of the ongoing moni-
toring data into permitting, planning, and resource allocation decisions.
6. Develop tools for prioritizing response actions that take into account potential for
both adaptation and GHG mitigation, especially for wetlands protection and resto-
ration.
C. Metrics: Develop measures and metrics to track and determine progress in climate
change adaptation and preparedness.
Research to Support Infrastructure
A. Water Demand Management: Design metrics for water and energy efficiency in key
sectors (e.g. municipal use; energy production and agriculture). Produce methods
and technology transfers in various sectors to reduce water demand.
B. Water Supply Management: Develop alternative and nonconventional water sup-
plies that will relieve pressure on freshwater sources and ensure the protection of
current and future sources of drinking water.
C. Energy-Water Nexus: Develop zero-net energy strategies through life cycle analysis
of water/energy consumption and optimization and co-generation.
D. Aquifer Storage and Recharge: Research into technologies to minimize mobilization
of geologic chemicals/radionuclides and the formation of new drinking water con-
taminants by injectate that is already treated to national drinking water standards.
Consider natural attenuation of microbes in different soil and geologic profiles and
disinfectant byproducts from treated injectate. Also identify configurations that
minimize adverse effects on surface water/ground water interchange (e.g., that
maintain healthy instream flows to support aquatic habitats).
E. Economics: Conduct cost-benefit analysis of climate change adaptation strategies.
Evaluate the cost of adapting versus the comparative costs of business-as-usual
approaches. Calculate the value of built infrastructure at risk from climate change,
especially from sea level rise and flooding, and use this information in economic
assessments of potential adaptation strategies.
Research to Support Watersheds and Wetlands
A. Monitoring: Identify aquatic ecosystem responses to changes in temperature, pre-
cipitation, and sea level rise. Identify water chemistry changes including possible
acidification effects that may be occurring in freshwater and estuarine systems.
Develop water monitoring designs to track parameters relevant to climate change
impacts. Identify and measure shifts over time in the condition of water resources
attributed to climate change.
100 Cross-Cutting Program Support
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Response to Climate Change
B. Hydrology: Improve the understanding of climate change on the hydrologic function
of wetlands and in providing ecological services. Increase the understanding of the
hydrological connections between surface water and ground water to inform IWRM.
Model potential changes to flood regulation, ground water recharge, and surface
water base flow, given scenarios of wetlands loss, including from increased ground
water pumping. Assess different types of wetlands' capacity to adapt to climate
change.
C. Co-benefits: Characterize co-benefits of healthy watersheds, Gl, and site conditions
where Gl is cost-effective and where it is not:
1. Identify climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies that lead to water
quality improvements, such as increased ground water recharge and stormwater
runoff mitigation and reduced cost for stormwater management and green space
connectivity.
2. Develop method to measure carbon sequestration potential for aquatic ecosys-
tems (e.g., wetland types, and forested watersheds).
Research to Support Coastal and Ocean Planning
A. Ocean Acidification: Understand likely impacts of ocean acidification to coastal
systems/system components, and identify and fill information gaps. Assess relative
vulnerabilities in order to identify sites appropriate for action to increase coral reef
resiliency.
B. Sea Level Rise: Accurate mapping of relative historic and projected sea level rise
and its impacts. Determine which coastal wetlands and ecosystems to protect or
restore and those that are "lost."
C. Temperature: Investigate potential impacts of climate change, such as warming
water temperatures on eutrophication and ecology.
Research to Support Water Quality
A. Pathogens: Evaluate potential changes in exposure factors and assessment methods
for waterborne pathogens that result from climate change. Develop models to better
understand how increased water temperature affects pathogen survival and prolif-
eration, drinking water treatment, and sanitary waste treatment requirements based
on water quality based effluent limitations or effluent limitation guidelines. Identify
contaminants that may more greatly affect public water system noncompliance by
increases or decreases in precipitation or ground water levels.
B. Precipitation: Identify impacts from changes such as extreme precipitation events
that may increase sediment loading or scouring, nutrient, pathogen, and toxic con-
taminant loads to water bodies.
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
C. Nitrogen Cycle: Assess air-water interactions (i.e., sources and sinks) of nitrogen
and develop strategies to reduce impacts to aquatic ecosystems and ground and
surface drinking water sources.
D. Flow: Characterize ecological flow criteria for aquatic species to protect designated
uses, given climate change intensifying the competition for finite water resources.
The criteria may be useful in developing TMDLs.
Research to Support Tribes
A. Traditional Ecological Knowledge: Strengthen the ability to incorporate tribal tradi-
tional knowledge into adaptation strategies relevant to tribes.
B. Overall: Include development of tribal-specific elements in overall research strate-
gies to understand climate change impacts and to develop adaptation strategies.
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Appendix A: Principles for an Energy Water Future - The
Foundation for a Sustainable America
Principles for an Energy Water Future
A Foundation for a Sustainable America
The nexus between energy and water is an increasingly important area for focus. There are
significant societal and environmental benefits to be derived from improving coordination be-
tween the two sectors. Government should take a leadership role in this relationship and lead
by example. EPA is proposing principles for government, service providers, and ratepayers to
foster valuable collaboration in both the water and energy sectors to work together to meet
our water and energy needs nationally and locally. The principles also serve as a reminder
that rising water treatment costs or necessary tradeoffs such as stricter water treatment
levels can be mitigated by efforts elsewhere such as reducing demand for energy and water.
Efficiency in the use of energy and water should form the foundation of how we develop,
distribute, recover, and use energy and water. EPA supports:
• Encouraging energy and water efficiency by the ratepayer through the use of efficient
products, like ENERGY STAR and WaterSense labeled products, supplemented by
informed and wise use of resources.
• Improving system-level energy and water efficiency by water, wastewater, stormwa-
ter, and energy utilities and encouraging strategic investments in efficiency.
• Using full-cost rate structures while ensuring access to clean and safe water for low
income households.
• Recognizing and reducing the embedded water and energy in manufactured and
agricultural products.
• Relying on education and outreach, in collaboration with local communities, to be at
the forefront of encouraging efficiency.
The exploration, production, transmission, and use of energy should have the smallest impact
on water resources as possible, in terms of water quality and water quantity. EPA supports:
• Reducing consumption or use of water for producing energy and fuels: reduce, re-
cover, reuse, and recycle.
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
• Analyzing, recognizing, and minimizing any impacts on groundwater, water quality,
water quantity, and the aquatic environment, including wetlands, when choosing
between sources of energy.
• Practicing good stewardship to minimize potential impacts and avoid contaminants
that reduce water's value or require additional energy for treatment.
The pumping, treating, distribution, use, collection, reuse, and ultimate disposal of water
should have the smallest impact on energy resources as possible. EPA supports:
• Creating an energy efficiency management plan using established energy auditing
tools.
• Establishing plans to repair leaks in water distribution and wastewater collection
systems.
• Using nearby water sources where available, including rain harvesting and recycled
water.
• Treating water to a level that matches the end use.
• Avoiding unnecessary transport of water and wastewater for treatment or disposal.
Wastewater treatment facilities, which treat human and animal waste, should be viewed as
renewable resource recovery facilities that produce clean water, recover energy, and gener-
ate nutrients. EPA supports:
• Using wastewater and associated organic solids and treatment byproducts, such as
methane gas, as a source of renewable energy that can be used by treatment plants
to reduce net 'on-grid' energy use or to become zero net energy consumers.
• Using wastewater for irrigation, accounting for the nutrients in the water as a way to
reduce the need for additional fertilizers.
• Recycling or reusing water for appropriate uses with no resulting loss of downstream
use and habitat, minimizing energy used for treatment, and becoming a reliable
source for the future.
• Extracting and recycling nutrients from wastewater.
The water and energy sectors - governments, utilities, manufacturers, and consumers -
should move toward integrated energy and water management from source, production, and
generation to end user. EPA supports:
• Encouraging the water and energy sectors - both governments and utilities - to con-
tinue to align themselves to breakdown institutional barriers, improve transparency,
and maximize efficiencies.
• Encouraging government agencies to look across missions and private utilities to
look across sectors to achieve integrated energy and water management, maximize
efficiencies, and avoid unintended consequences.
• Encouraging partnerships between government and service providers to leverage
and expand upon existing successes and institutions.
104 Appendices www.epa.gov/water/climatechange
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Response to Climate Change
• Promoting transparency and collaboration related to research, funding, and policy
within institutions and across sectors, which are essential and will help to leverage
lessons learned and expand successes.
Maximize comprehensive, societal benefits. EPA supports:
• Articulating and recognizing the benefits for the larger sphere of influence of public and
private investment - beyond direct cost savings - in energy and water efficiencies.
• Enhancing, promoting, and targeting financial incentives and other societal benefits,
including market-based benefits such as rebates and government programs such as
state revolving funds, taxes, and tax credits.
• Planning to build resiliency for climate change impacts on water infrastructure and
water quality to minimize vulnerabilities.
Appendix B: Goals and Strategic Actions: Lead Offices6
Infrastructure: In the face of a changing climate, resilient and adaptable drinking wa-
ter, wastewater, and stormwater utilities (i.e., the water utility sector) ensure clean
and safe water to protect the nation's public health and environment by making
smart investment decisions to improve the sustainability of their infrastructure and
operations and the communities they serve, while reducing greenhouse gas emis-
sions through greater energy efficiency.
Goal!:
Build the body of in-
formation and tools
needed to incorpo-
rate climate change
into planning and
decision making.
SA1: Improve access to vetted climate and hydrological
science, modeling, and assessment too Is through the
Climate Ready Water Utilities program.
OGWDW
(OWM)
SA2: Assist wastewater and water utilities to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions and increase long-term
sustainability with a combination of energy efficiency,
co-generation, and increased use of renewable energy
resources
OWM
(OGWDW)
SA3: Work with the states and public water systems,
particularly small water systems, to identify and plan
for climate change challenges to drinking water safety
and to assist in meeting health based drinking water
standards.
OGWDW
SA4: Promote sustainable design approaches to provide
forthe long-term sustainability of infrastructure and
operations.
OWM
(OGWDW)
OGWDW=Office of Groundwater and Drinking Water; OWM = Office of Wastewater Management; OWOW=Office
of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds; OST=Office of Science and Technology; OW I0=0ffice of Water Immediate
Office
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Appendices 105
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
Goals and Strategic Actions: Lead Offices (cont.)
Goal 2:
Support Integrated
Water Resources
Management to
sustainably manage
water resources.
SAB: Understand and promote through technical assis-
tance the use of water supply management strategies.
SAG: Evaluate and provide technical assistance on the
use of water demand management strategies.
SA7: Increase cross-sector knowledge of water supply
climate challenges and develop watershed specific infor-
mation to inform decision making.
OWM
(OGWDW)
OWM
(OGWDW)
OWIOIAII
OW Offices)
Watersheds & Wetlands: Watersheds are protected, maintained, and restored to
provide climate resilience and to preserve the ecological, social, and economic
benefits they provide; and the nation's wetlands are maintained and improved using
integrated approaches that recognize their inherent value as well as their role in
reducing the impacts of climate change.
Goal 3:
Identify, protect,
and maintain a
network of healthy
watersheds and
supportive habitat
corridor networks.
SAB: Develop a national framework and support efforts
to protect remaining healthy watersheds and aquatic
ecosystems.
SA9: Collaborate with partners on terrestrial ecosys-
tems and hydrology so that effects on water quality and
aquatic ecosystems are considered.
SA10: Integrate protection of healthy watersheds
throughoutthe NWP core programs.
SA11: Increase public awareness of the role and impor-
tance of healthy watersheds in reducing the impacts of
climate change.
OWOW
OWOW
OWOW
OWOW
Goal 4:
Incorporate climate
resilience into
watershed restora-
tion andfloodplain
management.
SA12: Consider a means of accounting for climate change
in EPAfunded and other watershed restoration projects.
SA13: Work with federal, state, interstate, tribal, and lo-
cal partners to protect and restore the natural resources
and functions of riverine and coastal floodplains as a
means of building resiliency and protecting water quality.
OWOW
OWOW
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Response to Climate Change
Goals and Strategic Actions: Lead Offices (cont.)
Goal 5:
Watershed protec-
tion practices
incorporate Source
Water Protection
to protect drinking
water supplies.
Goal 6:
EPA incorporates
climate change con-
siderations into its
wetlands programs,
including the CWA
404 program, as
appropriate.
Goal?:
Improve baseline
information on
wetland extent,
condition, and per-
formance to inform
long term planning
and priority setting
thattakes into ac-
countthe potential
added benefits for
climate change ad-
aptation and carbon
sequestration.
SAM: Encourage states to update their source water
delineations, assessments or protection plans to address
anticipated climate change impacts.
SA15: Continue to support collaborative efforts to
increase state and local awareness of source water
protection needs and opportunities, and encourage in-
clusion of source water protection areas in local climate
change adaptation initiatives.
SA16: Considerthe effects of climate change, as appro-
priate, when making significant degradation determina-
tions in the CWA Section 404 wetlands permitting and
enforcement program.
SA17: Evaluate, in conjunction with the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers, how wetland and stream compensation
projects could be selected, designed, and sited to aid in
reducing the effects of climate change.
SA18: Expand wetland mapping by supporting wetland
mapping coalitions and training on use of the new federal
Wetland Mapping Standard.
SA19: Produce a statistically valid ecological condition
assessment of the nation's wetlands.
SA20:Workwith partners and stakeholders to develop
information and too Is to support long term planning and
priority setting for wetland restoration projects.
OGWDW
OGWDW
OWOW
OWOW
OWOW
OWOW
OWOW
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
Goals and Strategic Actions: Lead Offices (cont.)
Coastal and Ocean Waters: Adverse effects of climate change along with collective
stressors and unintended adverse consequences of responses to climate change
have been successfully prevented or reduced in the ocean and coastal environment.
Federal, tribal, state and local agencies, organizations, and institutions are working
cooperatively; and information necessary to integrate climate change consider-
ations into ocean and coastal management is produced, readily available, and used.
Goal 8:
Collaborate so that
information and
methodologies for
ocean and coastal
areas are collected,
produced, analyzed,
and easily available.
SA21: Collaborate so that synergy occurs, lessons
learned are transferred, federal efforts effectively help
local communities, and efforts are not duplicative or at
cross-purposes.
SA22: Work within EPAand with the U.S. Global Change
Research Program and other federal, tribal, and state
agencies to collect, produce, analyze, and format
knowledge and information needed to protect ocean and
coastal areas and make it easily available.
OWOW
OWOW
Goal 9:
Supportand build
networks of local,
tribal, state, region-
al andfederal col-
laborators to take
effective adapta-
tion measuresfor
coastal and ocean
environments
through EPA's geo-
graphicallytargeted
programs.
SA23: Work with the NWP's larger geographic programs
to incorporate climate change considerations, focusing
on both the natural and built environments.
SA24: Address climate change adaptation and build
stakeholder capacity when implementing NEP Com-
prehensive Conservation and Management Plans and
through the Climate Ready Estuaries Program.
SA25: Conduct outreach and education, and provide
technical assistance to state and local watershed
organizations and communitiesto build adaptive capac-
ity in coastal areas outside the NEP and Large Aquatic
Ecosystem programs.
OWOW
(Regions)
OWOW
OWOW
Goal 10:
Address climate
driven environ-
mental changes in
coastal areas and
provide that mitiga-
tion and adaptation
are conducted in
an environmentally
responsible manner.
SA26: Support coastal wastewater, stormwater, and
drinking water infrastructure owners and operators
in reducing climate risks and encourage adaptation in
coastal areas.
SA27: Support climate readiness of coastal communi-
ties, including hazard mitigation, pre-disaster planning,
preparedness, and recovery efforts.
SA28: Support preparation and response planning for
impacts to coastal aquatic environments.
OWOW
OWOW
OWOW
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Response to Climate Change
Goals and Strategic Actions: Lead Offices (cont.)
Goal 11:
Protectocean
environments by
incorporating shift-
ing environmental
conditions and
other emerging
threats into EPA
programs.
SA29: Consider climate change impacts on marine water
quality in NWP ocean managementauthorities, policies,
and programs.
SA30: Use available authorities and work with the
Regional Ocean Organizations and otherfederal and
state agencies through regional ocean groups and other
networks so that offshore renewable energy production
does not adversely affectthe marine environment.
SA31: Supportthe evaluation of sub-seabed sequestra-
tion of C02and any proposals for ocean fertilization.
SA32: Participate in interagency development and imple-
mentation of federal strategies through the NOCandthe
NOC Strategic Action Plans.
OWOW
OWOW
(Regions)
OWOW
OWOW
Water Quality: Our Nation's surface water, drinking water, and ground water quality
are protected, and the risks of climate change to human health and the environment
are diminished, through a variety of adaptation and mitigation strategies.
Goals and Strategic Actions
Goal 12:
Protect waters of
the United States
and promote man-
agement of sustain-
able surface water
resources.
SA33: Encourage states and communities to incorporate
climate change considerations into their water quality
planning.
SA34: Encourage green infrastructure and low-impact
development to protect water quality and make water-
sheds more resilient.
SA35: Promote consideration of climate change impacts
by National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
permitting authorities.
SA36: Encourage water quality authorities to consider
climate change impacts when developing wasteload and
load allocations in TMDLs where appropriate.
SA37: Identify and protect designated uses that are at
riskfrom climate change impacts.
SA38: Clarify howto re-evaluate aquatic life water
quality criteria on more regular intervals; and develop in-
formation to assist states and tribes who are developing
criteria that incorporate climate change considerations
for hydrologic condition.
rtners)
OWOW
OWM
(OWOW)
OWM
OWOW
OST(OWM)
OST
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Appendices 109
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
Goals and Strategic Actions: Lead Offices (cont.)
Goal 13:
As the nation
makes decisions to
reduce greenhouse
gases and develop
alternative sources
of energy and fuel,
work to protect wa-
ter resources from
unintended adverse
consequences.
Goal 14:
Collaborate to make
hydrological and
climate data and
projections avail-
able.
SA39: Continue to provide perspective on the water
resource implications of new energy technologies.
SA40: Provide assistance to states and permittees to
assure that geologic sequestration of C02 is responsibly
managed.
SA41: Continue to work with States to help them identify
polluted waters, including those affected by biof uels
production, and help them develop and implement Tola I
Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) forthose waters.
SA42: Provide informational materials for stakeholders
to encourage the consideration of alternative sources
of energy and fuels that a re water efficient and maintain
water quality.
SA43: As climate change affects the operation or place-
ment of reservoirs, work with otherfederal agencies
and EPA programs to understand the combined effects
of climate change and hydropower on flows, watertem-
perature, and water quality.
SA44: Monitor climate change impacts to surface waters
and ground water.
SA45: Collaborate with otherfederal agencies to develop
new methods for use of updated precipitation, storm
frequency, and observational streamflow data, as well
as methods for evaluating projected changes in lowflow
conditions.
SA46: Enhance flow estimation using National Hydrogra-
phy Dataset Plus (NHDPIus).
OWM
(OGWDW)
OGWDW
(OWOW)
OGWDW
(OWOW,
OWM)
OWM
(OWIO)
OWM
OWOW
(OGWDW)
OWIO
OWOW
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Response to Climate Change
Goals and Strategic Actions: Lead Offices (cont.)
Working With Tribes: Tribes are able to preserve, adapt, and maintain the viability of
their culture, traditions, natural resources, and economies in the face of a changing
climate.
Goals and Strategic Actions
Goal 15:
Incorporate climate
change consid-
erations in the
implementation of
core programs, and
collaborate with
other EPA Offices
andfederal agen-
cies to work with
tribes on climate
change issues on a
multi-media basis.
SA47: Through formal consultation and other mecha-
nisms, incorporate climate change as a key consider-
ation in the revised NWP Tribal Strategy and subsequent
implementation of CWA, SDWA, and other core pro-
grams.
SA48: Incorporate adaptation into tribal fund ing mecha-
nisms, and collaborate with other EPA and federal fund-
ing programs to support sustainability and adaptation in
tribal communities.
OWIO
OWIO
Goal 16:
Tribes have access
to information on
climate change for
decision making.
SA49: Collaborate to explore and develop climate change
science, information, and tools for tribes, and incorpo-
rate local knowledge.
SA50: Collaborate to develop communication materials
relevantfortribal uses and tribal audiences.
Cross-Cutting Program Support
OWIO
OWIO
Goal 17:
Communicate, Col-
laborate, and Train.
SA51: Continue building the communication, collabora-
tion, and training mechanisms needed to effectively
increase adaptive capacity at the federal, tribal, state,
and local levels.
OWIO
Goal 18:
Track Progress and
Measure Outcomes
SA52: Adopt a phased approach to track programmatic
progress towards Strategic Actions; achieve commit-
ments reflected in the Agency Strategic Plan; work with
the EPA Work Group to develop outcome measures.
OWIO
Goal 19:
Identify Climate
Change and Water
Research Needs
SA53: Work with ORD, other water science agencies, and
the water research community to further define needs
and develop research opportunities to deliverthe infor-
mation needed to support implementation of this 2012
Strategy, including providing the decision supporttools
needed by water resource managers.
OST(OWIO)
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Appendices 111
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
Appendix C: List of Abbreviations
ACWI Advisory Committee on Water
Information
ASR Aquifer Storage & Recovery
AWWA American Waterworks Association
BLM Bureau of Land Management
BOEMR Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management, Regulations Energy
CCAWWG Climate Change Adaptation Work
Group
CCL Contaminant Candidate List
CEQ White House Council on
Environmental Quality
CMSP Coastal Marine Spatial Planning
CRE Climate Ready Estuaries
GREAT Climate Resilience Evaluation and
Awareness Tool
CRWU Climate Ready Water Utilities
CT4CW Coming Togetherfor Clean Water
CWA Clean Water Act
DMR Discharge Monitoring Report
DOE Department of Energy
DOT Department of Transportation
DWSRF Drinking Water State Revolving Fund
EAT Energy Audit Tool
ESA Endangered Species Act
FEMA Federal Emergency Management
Agency
GAP General Assistance Program
GHG Greenhouse gas
Gl Green Infrastructure
HAB Harmful algal bloom
HUC Hydrologic Unit Code
HUD Housing and Urban Development
HWQS Hydrologic and Water Quality
System
ICCATF Interagency Climate Change
Adaptation Task Force
IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change
IWRM Integrated Water Resources
Management
LCCs Landscape Conservation
Cooperatives
LID Low Impact Development
LIDAR Light Detection And Ranging
MPRSA Marine Protection, Research and
Sanctuaries Act
MWDs Municipal Water Districts
NAP National Adaptation Plan
NDWAC National Drinking Water Advisory
Council
NEP National Estuary Program
NEPA National Environmental Policy Act
NHDPIus National Hydrography Dataset Plus
NMFS National Marine Fisheries Service
NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
NOC National Ocean Council
NPDES National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System
NPDWR National Primary Drinking Water
Regulations
NPS National Park Service
NRC National Research Council
NWCA National Wetland Condition
Assessment
NWI National Wetland Inventory
NWP National Water Program
OAR Office of Air and Radiation
OCSPP Office of Chemical Safety and
Pollution Prevention
OGC Office of General Counsel
OGWDW Office of Ground Water and Drinking
Water (OW)
OITA Office of International and Tribal
Affairs
OM&R Operations, maintenance and
replacement
OP Office of Policy
ORD Office of Research and Development
OST Office of Science and Technology
(OW)
112 Appendices
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Response to Climate Change
OSTP White House Office of Sciences
Technology Policy
OSWER Office of Solid Waste and Emergency
Response
OUST Office of Underground Storage Tanks
(OSWER)
OW Office of Water
OWM Office of Wastewater Management
(OW)
OWOW Office of Wetlands, Oceans and
Watersheds (OW)
RISAs Regional Integrated Sciences and
Assessments
SAP Synthesis and Assessment Product
SDWA Safe Drinking Water Act
SWAQ Subcommittee on Water Availability
and Quality
TMDLs Total Maximum Daily Loads
USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
DIG Underground Injection Control
USAGE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
USER U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
USDA U.S. Departmentof Agriculture
USDW Underground source of drinking
water
USFS U.S. Forest Service
USGCRP U.S. Global Change Research
Program
USGS U.S. Geological Survey
WQS Water quality standards
WUE Water Use Efficiency
Appendix D: References
BOR, 2010. Memorandum of Understanding for Hydropower, Among the Department of Inte-
rior, Department of Energy, and the Army, March 24,2010. Available at: http://www.usbr.gov/
power/SignedHydropowerMOU.pdf.
BOR, 2011. SECURE Water Act Section 9503(c) - Reclamation Climate Change and Water 2011,
April 2011. Available at: http://www.usbr.gov/climate/SECURE/.
Brekke, 2009. Climate change and water resources management—A federal perspective:
U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1331, Brekke, L.D., Kiang, J.E., Olsen, J.R., Pulwarty, R.S.,
Raff, D.A., Turnipseed, D.P., Webb, R.S., and White, K.D., 2009. Available at: http://pubs.usgs.
gov/circ/1331/.
CA,2011a. IWRM Handbook, California Departmentof Water Resources. Available at:
www.water.ca.gov/irwm/.
CA, 2011 b. Embedded Energy in Water - Pilot Programs Impact Evaluation Final Report,
ECONorthwest, March 9,2011. Prepared for the California Public Utilities Commission Energy
Division. Available at: http://www.energydataweb.com/cpucFiles/33/
FinalEmbeddedEnergyPilotEMVReport_1.pdf.
CBPO, 2010. Chesapeake Bay Executive Order Strategy, May 12,2010. Available at: http://
executiveorder.chesapeakebay.net/post/New-Federal-Strategy-for-Chesapeake-Launches-
Major-lnitiatives-and-Holds-Government-Accountable-for-Progress.aspx.
www.epa.gov/water/climatechange
Appendices 113
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
CCAWWG, 2011. Addressing Climate Change in Long-Term Water Resources Planning and
Management: User Needs for Improving Tools and Information. Available at: http://www.usbr.
gov/research/climate/.
CEQ, 2009. Executive Order 13514 Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic
Performance." Section 16. October 5,2009. Available at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/
documents/2009fedleader_eo_rel.pdf.
CEQ, 2010. Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force, report to the President, Oc-
tober 4,2010, and Water Workgroup Report, October 5,2010. Available at: http://www.white-
house.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/adaptation.
CEQ, 2011a. National Action Plan: Priorities for Managing Freshwater Resources in a Chang-
ing Climate. Report of the Freshwater Workgroup, Interagency Climate Change Adaptation
Task Force, October 28,2011. Available at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/defaulVfiles/
microsites/ceq/2011_national_action_plan.pdf.
CEQ, 2011 b. Instructions for Implementing Climate Change Adaptation Planning In Accor-
dance With Executive Order 13514. Federal Agency Climate Change Adaptation Planning
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Appendix E: Acknowledgements
This 2012 Strategyis the collective product of many people. Special thanks go to the following
people who contributed significantly to the development of this document.
National Water Program Workgroup Members
EPA Office of the Assistant Administrator for Water
David Bylsma, Joel Corona, Elana Goldstein, Patrick Maloney, Karen Metchis, John Pow-
ers, Michael Shapiro, Felicia Wright
Office of Groundwater and Drinking Water
Curt Baranowski, Rachel Herbert, Keara Moore, Mike Muse, David Travers, John Whitler
Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds
Michael Craghan, Paul Cough, Holly Elwell, Laura Gabanski, Kathleen Kutschenreuter,
Bernice Smith
120 Appendices www.epa.gov/water/climatechange
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Response to Climate Change
Office of Wastewater Management
Veronica Blette, Caitlin Gregg, Randy Hill, Sarita Hoyt
Office of Science and Technology
Rachael Novak
EPA Regional Offices
Region 1: Mel Cote, Ken Moraff, Stephen Perkins
Region 2: Douglas Pabst, Patricia Pechko
Region 3: Joe Piotrowski
Region 4: Bob Howard, Linda Rimer
Region 5: Kate Balasa, Tinka Hyde
Region 6: James R. Brown, Barbara Keeler
Region 7: Karen Flournoy, Morris Holmes, Mary Mindrup
Region 8: Jim Berkley, Carol Russell
Region 9: Michael Mann, Suzanne Marr, Cheryl McGovern, Karen Schwinn
Region 10: Paula VanHaagen, Sharon Wilson
Great Lakes Program: John Haugland
Gulf of Mexico Program: John Bowie
Other EPA Contributors
EPA Office of Air and Radiation
• Rona Birnbaum
• Jeremy Martinich
• William Perkins
EPA Office of Policy
• Catherine Allen
• Leah Cohen
• Gerald Filbin
• JoelScheraga
EPA Office of Research and Development
• James Goodrich
• Anne Grambsch
• Tom Johnson
• Andy Miller
• Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta
• Suzanne VanDrunick
• Chris Weaver
• Jeff Yang
www.epa.gov/water/climatechange
Appendices 121
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
Special Acknowledgments for Partners and Stakeholders
The NWP owes a debt of gratitude to the many people who have engaged in the dialogue on
climate change and water resources. While there are too many to name them all, we especial-
ly want to express our appreciation to the following organizations and individuals whose ideas
have informed our thinking in the process of developing this 2012 Strategy, and who have cre-
ated a collaborative problem-solving environment that serves the nation well in tackling this
complex issue.
State-Tribal Climate Change Council
Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA)
• Denise Clifford, Washington Department of Health
• Jessica Godreau, North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
• Elston Johnson, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
• Saeid Kasraei, Maryland Department of the Environment
• Dierdre Mason, ASDWA
• Fred Sickel, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
• Jim Taft, ASDWA
Association Clean Water Administrators (ACWA, formerly ASIWPCA)
• Dave Akers, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
• Arthur Baggett, California State Water Resources Control Board
• Carol Collier, Delaware River Basin Commission
• Alexandra Dunn, ACWA
• Susan Kirsch, ACWA
• Janet Llewellyn, Florida Department of Environmental Protection
• Sara Vinson, ACWA
• Rebecca Weidman, New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission
• Marcia Willhite, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
Association of State Wetland Managers (ASWM)
• Anna Buckley, Oregon Department of State Lands
• Jeanne Christie, ASWM
• Denise Clearwater, Maryland Department of the Environment
122 Appendices
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Response to Climate Change
• Doug Fry, Florida Department of Environmental Protection
• Ted LaGrange, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
• Alan Quakenbush, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation
Ground Water Protection Council (GWPC)
• Mark Fesmire, New Mexico Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department
• Hal Fitch, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
• Joe Lee, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
• Mike Paque, GWPC
• Sarah Pillsbury, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
• Dave Terry, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
National Tribal Water Council (NTWC)
• Michael Bolt, Eastern Band of Cherokee Nation
• Alex Cabillo, Arizona Hualapai Tribe
• Daniel Chythlook, Aleknagik Traditional Council
• Steve Crawford, Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point
• Dave Fuller, Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe
• Nancy John, Cherokee Nation
EPA Appointed Members
• Steve Etsitty, Navajo Nation EPA
• Denise Jensen, Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska
• Jeanine Jones, Western Governors Association/California Department of Water
Resources
• Lynn Kent, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
• Chief Oren Lyons, Onondaga Nation, Haudenosaunee Confederacy
• Naomi Tillison, Bad River Department of Natural Resources
• Jason Walker, Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation
www.epa.gov/water/climatechange
Appendices 123
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National Water Program 2012 Strategy
Association Partners
The Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) and the Water Research Foundation
(WaterRF), which conduct research and development activities related to wastewater treat-
ment utilities and drinking water utilities, respectively.
The American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the Association of Metropolitan Water
Agencies (AMWA), which provided valuable input and support throughout this process.
The Water Utility Climate Alliance (WUCA) members, who have provided leadership on climate
change.
Climate Ready Water Utilities Working Group of the National Drinking Water Advisory Commit-
tee for their leadership and commitment to this issue.
124 Appendices
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The real wealth of the Nation lies
in the resources of the earth
soil, water, forests, minerals,
and wildlife.
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United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Water (4101M)
EPA-850-K-12-004
December 2012
National Water Program 2012 Strategy: Response to Climate Change
To view the document online, visit: http://www.epa.gov/water/climatechange
To order a hard copy, visit: http://www.epa.gov/nscep/
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