Case Study: Water and Wastewater Utilities Planning for Climate Change BEAR CREEK WATERSHED ASSOCIATION AND EVERGREEN METROPOLITAN DISTRICT, COLORADO Background The Bear Creek Watershed Association (BCWA) has 14 member communities that provide drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services within the Bear Creek Watershed in central Colorado. The watershed does not have any high elevation surface water and is mostly snowpack- and groundwater-fed, which is unique compared to other Front Range watersheds. The Evergreen Metropolitan District (Evergreen Metro) is a member of BCWA that provides drinking water services to 13,700 customers and provides wastewater services to a smaller number of customers in the service area. Average daily production of Evergreen Metro's Water Treatment Plant (WTP) is 1.5 to 2 million gallons per day (MGD). The water source is Evergreen Lake, which is located at mid-elevation in the watershed. Climate Threats BCWA and Evergreen Metro are primarily concerned with climate threats that could result in water quality and quantity issues. Increasing temperatures from climate change could present regulatory and treatment challenges for Evergreen Metro, in addition to affecting the health of sensitive fish species in the watershed. A minimal temperature increase of 1 to 2°F would present issues for local cold-water fisheries. Additional concerns include water supply quantity issues from drought, as well as water supply quality issues from wildfires and subsequent flooding. Previous flooding events have resulted in significant sedimentation of Evergreen Lake that has diminished the reservoir's capacity. Planning Process BCWA and Evergreen Metro engaged in a series of webinars and an in-person meeting to conduct a climate change risk assessment using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool (CREAT). The assessment brought together individuals from BCWA, Evergreen Metro and EPA to think critically about potential climate impacts, priority assets and possible adaptation options. BCWA and Evergreen Metro are using their assessment to build on existing modeling and monitoring efforts to better understand how climate change threats could affect utility operations and watershed health. Adaptation Measures BCWA and Evergreen Metro developed two forward-looking adaptation plans in CREAT—the "Minimum Proactive Plan - 10 years" (Minimum Proactive Plan) and the "Preferred Plan by 2050" (Preferred Plan)—that contain potential adaptation options that would provide additional protection to BCWA and Evergreen Metro's assets from climate change threats in the future. BCWA and Evergreen Metro plan to share the results of their CREAT assessment with BCWA members and the BCWA board. Presenting and discussing the results of CREAT assessments to decision makers can demonstrate the benefits of implementing cost-effective risk reduction adaptation options. More details are presented in the table below. BCWA and Evergreen Metropolitan District Case Study — Page 1 *>EPA ------- Case Study: Water and Wastewater Utilities Planning for Climate Change PLAN POTENTIAL ADAPTIVE MEASURES Decision models that incorporate uncertainty Expanded water quality monitoring Improvement of bioretention facilities Minimum Proactive Plan -10 years Improvement of climate training for personnel, decision makers and watershed members Improvement of fire management plans to combat water quality issues from wildfires and subsequent flooding Improvement of public communication plans Improvement of existing temperature monitoring to better understand potential impacts on infrastructure and operations Decision models that incorporate uncertainty Expanded water quality monitoring Improvement of bioretention facilities Improvement of climate training for personnel, decision makers and watershed members Preferred Plan by 2050 Improvement of fire management plans to combat water quality issues from wildfires and subsequent flooding Improvement of public communication plans Improvement of existing temperature monitoring to better understand potential impacts on infrastructure and operations Expand rainwater collection through rain barrels and cisterns Improvement of cold-water management of segment 1A to improve water quality and provide benefits to the fisheries and other species in the watershed Storm-related excessive erosion mitigation to improve water quality and provide benefits to the fisheries and other species in the watershed Contact Information For more information regarding Bear Creek Watershed Association's climate adaptation planning, contact Russell Clayshulte at rclavshulte@earthlink.net. BCWA and Evergreen Metropolitan District Case Study — Page 2 £EPA Office of Water (4608T) EPA 810-S-16-008 January 2017 ------- |