EPA Office of Water Highlights of Progress 2007 2009 Implementing the National Water Program Strategy Response to Climate Change

&EPA

United States
Environmental Protection
Agency

CLIMATE CHANGE & WATER • FACT SHEET

EPA Office of Water

Highlights of Progress 2007-2009

Implementing the NWP Strategy: Response to Climate Change

The National Water Program Strategy: Response to Climate
Change (http ://www.epa. gov/water/climatechange/strategy.
html), published in September 2008, was an initial effort
to describe climate change impacts on water programs, to
define goals and objectives for responding to climate change,
and to identify a set of key actions that could be undertaken
in Fiscal Years 2008 and 2009 under level resources in the
areas of mitigation adaptation, research, education and
management.

This document summarizes some of the accomplishments
of the National Water Program (NWP) within EPA's Office
of Water (OW). More details of these and other actions are
described in the 2009 Progress Report, available at http://
www.epa.gov/ow/climatecliange/implementation.html.

Goal 1: Water Program Mitigation of
Greenhouse Gases

To contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions,

the NWP's primary efforts included:

• Improving energy efficiency at water and wastewater
utilities;

• Implementing the WaterSense Program:

• Implementing the Green Infrastructure Initiative;

• Developing technical guidance for water reuse;

• Promoting technologies to address water leakage from
pipes and other conveyances; and

• Developing carbon sequestration regulations under the
Safe Drinking Water Act's (SDWA) Underground Injection
Control (UIC) Program.

OW and Region 1 developed the Energy Management
Guidebook for Wastewater and Water Utilities to provide
utility managers with a step-by-step method to identify,
implement, measure, and improve energy efficiency and
renewable opportunities, available at: http://www.epa.gov/
waterinfrastructure/pdfs/guidebook_si_energy management,
pdf. In partnership with the Public Entity EMS Resource
(PEER) Center, OW developed the Effective Utility
Management Primer and Resource Toolbox (http://www.
peercenter.net/Featured Tools/index.cfm?FrontID=5832),
which includes ten attributes that incorporate consideration
of climate change.

OW continues to implement the WaterSense Program (http://
www.epa.gov/watersense/), a partnership program promoting
water efficiency and enhancing the market for water-efficient
products, programs, and practices. Achievements in 2008
include saving 9.3 billion gallons of water and 1 billion
kWli through use of WaterSense labeled products, helping
consumers realize more than $55 million in water and sewer
bill savings, and doubling the number of program partners.

Many of the actions to mitigate greenhouse gases are also
important adaptation measures. EPA's Green Buildings
and Green Infrastructure programs are cross-office efforts
that address both nonpoint source runoff and stonnwater
management. The "green buildings" and "smart growth"
programs focus efforts on reducing nonpoint source pollution
while reducing energy and water consumption. Efforts
continue to promote low impact development and green
infrastructure, consistent with EPA's January 2008 Green
Infrastructure Action Strategy entitled Managing Wet
Weather with Green Infrastructure (http://cfpub.epa.gov/
npdes/home. cfm ?p rogram_ i d=298).

OW is funding a study by the Water Science and Technology
Board (http://dels.nas.edu/wstb/), of the National
Academy of Sciences National Research Council (NAS/
NRC), on "Assessment of Water Reuse as an Approach
for Meeting Future Water Supply Needs" (http://www8.
na! i ana lacadeiriies. o rg/cp/proj ectv icw.
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To reduce water loss, OW is promoting technologies
to identify and address water leakage from pipes and
other conveyances. A decision tree and matrix are being
developed to allow utilities to identify and implement
effective water loss mitigation tools. A guidance document
entitled Control & Mitigation of Drinking Water Losses in
Distribution Systems is expected to be released in 2010.

OW is developing carbon sequestration regulations under
the SDWA UIC Program (http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw000/
uic/index.htinl). In August 2009, OW published a Notice
of Data Availability (NOD A) soliciting comments on new
sequestration research and an alternative to the injection
depth requirement of the 2008 Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking (NPRM). OW is moving forward with the
rale-making process in anticipation of finalizing the UIC
geologic sequestration rale in early 2011. Additionally,
OW is working with stakeholders to develop regulations for
siting and managing carbon sequestration projects to prevent
endangennent of underground sources of driliking water.

OW also continues to work with other interested agencies
and the international community to develop guidance on sub-
seabed carbon sequestration and ocean "fertilization".

Climate change will have far-reaching implications for water
resources and water programs, requiring EPA to evaluate and
adapt its programs and develop new tools. Over the past two
years, some of the NWP highlights have included:

• Water Quality and Technology-Based Standards

• Examining the policy and technical implications of
velocity or flow standards; and

• Improving biological indicators for climate change.

• Watershed Approach

• Integrating the Climate Assessment Tool (CAT) into the
Surface Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) BASINS 4.0
system;

• Implementing the Climate Ready Estuaries Program
(CRE); and

• Participating in the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force
(CRTF).

• National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
(NPDES) Program

• Evaluating the potential for NPDES program to
consider climate change impacts.

• Water Infrastructure

• Establishing a Climate Ready Water Utilities advisory
working group;

• Developing tools for water and wastewater utilities
including a Climate Readiness and Awareness
Assessment Tool;

• Implementing the Green Infrastructure Initiative; and

• Promoting the use of the Clean Water State Revolving
Fund (CWSRF) and the Drinking Water State

Revolving Fund (DWSRF) for green projects.
• Wetlands Protection

• Developing the National Wetlands Mapping Standard;
and

• Developing a new Coastal Wetlands Initiative.

Water Quality and Technology-Based
Standards

In anticipation of increased flow, velocity, and sediment
loadings in some streams, rivers, and estuaries, OW has
examined the policy and technical implications of velocity
and flow standards, and provided technical and policy
support to regions and states interested in developing flow
criteria, including Region 1.

OW is working closely with EPA's Office of Research and
Development (ORD) to improve biological indicators for
climate change. After holding a joint workshop. Climate
Change Effects on Biological Indicators: Rivers, Streams
and Lakes in February 2008, ORD initiated four pilot studies
with bioassessment programs in Ohio, North Carolina,

Utah, and Maine. For additional information on these
efforts, visit: http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/global/recordisplay.
cfm?deid= 190304.

Watershed Approach

OW integrated CAT into the SWAT BASINS 4.0
system (http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/global/recordisplay.
cfm?deid=203460). BASINS is a decision support system
that integrates a geographical information system (CIS)
with geophysical, meteorologic, hydrologic and water
quality data, and watershed and water quality models in one
package. The integration of CAT into the BASINS system
extends the existing capabilities of BASINS to incorporate
climate change and variability into modeling scenarios. OW
is developing a training module to assist BASINS users in
employing CAT to simulate impacts of modified climate with
BASINS watershed models. Training materials are expected
to be complete in April 2010.

Goal 2: Water Program Adaptation to
Climate Change

EPA Office of Water • water_climate_change@epa.gov • www.epa.gov/water/climatechange/ • February 2010

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OW and EPA Office of Air and Radiation's (OAR) Climate
Change Division are jointly working with interested National
Estuary Programs (NEPs) to develop and implement the
CRE program (http://www.epa.gov/cre/). The program is
designed for NEPs and other coastal managers to assess
climate change vulnerabilities, develop and implement
adaptation strategies, engage and educate stakeholders,
and share lessons learned with other coastal managers.

Since its inception in 2008, CRE has supported 11 partners
by providing funding and direct technical assistance. In
December 2009, EPA published the 2009 CRE Progress
Report (http://www.epa.gov/cre/downloads/2009-CRE-
Progress-Report.pdf).

OW continues to participate in the CRTF (http://coralreef.
gov/). EPA is one of three federal agencies invited to
participate on the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program's
(CRCP) Land Based Sources of Pollution Working Group,
which is tasked with recommending goals and objectives
for the CRCP to better address this major threat to coral reef
ecosystems.

National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System (NPDES) Program

OW's Water Permits Division evaluated the NPDES program
to examine the flexibilities of the program to consider
climate change when developing NPDES permits and to
identify the areas in which new methods, improved data,
or training will be needed. The report will be available in
Spring 2010.

Water Infrastructure

The Climate Ready Water Utilities (CRWU) Working Group

(http://client-ross.com/crwuwg/) was established under
the National Drinking Water Advisory Council (NDWAC)
(http://www.epa.gov/safewater/ndwac/) to help inform the
development of an effective program for drinking water and
wastewater utilities to integrate climate change adaptation
and mitigation strategies into utility management.

Work on a climate change vulnerability assessment tool has
been underway since May 2008. It is designed to help utility
managers approach vulnerability and risk assessments and is
expected to be available in 2010.

EPA supports municipal, state, and regional efforts within the
stonnwater NPDES permitting program to reduce overflows
from storm sewers and combined sewers, and to garner a
variety of additional co-benefits including reducing energy
used for wastewater treatment . EPA provided support for the
Center for Neighborhood Technology to enhance a web-
based stonnwater calculator tool for quickly comparing the
performance, costs, and benefits of green infrastructure to
conventional stonnwater practices (http://greenvalues.cnt.
org/national/calculator.php). EPA also provided support
to the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF)
to develop the Green Infrastructure Cost Tool. This tool
addresses the costs associated with vegetative roofs,
rainwater catchment systems, and bioretention facilities by
providing a framework for estimating capital costs, operation
and maintenance costs, and life-cycle net present value
(http://www.werf.org/ AM/Template.cfm?Section=
Stomiwater3&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.
cfm&CONTENTID=10836).

OW worked with partners to determine projects eligible for
CWSRF and DWSRF financial assistance. Eligibility was
analyzed from both the perspective of adapting to conditions
caused by climate change and reducing the emission of
greenhouse gases (GHG). The American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provided a 20 percent Green
Project Reserve (http://www.epa.gov/water/eparecovery/)
that directs funds to capital projects, such as water and
energy efficiency projects, green stonnwater infrastructure,
and other innovative environmental projects. A range of
potential utility and state responses to climate change may
be supported through the funds themselves or through state
set-asides.

Wetlands Protection

The wetlands mapping standard
was finalized and subsequently
approved by the Federal
Geospatial Data Committee
(FGDC) on July 7, 2009,
available at: www.fws.gov/
wetlands/_documents/gN SDI/
DCWetlandsMappingStandard.
pdf. EPA's Office of Wetlands,

Oceans, and Watersheds (OWOW) chaired the FGDC
workgroup which developed and finalized the National
Wetlands Mapping Standard. The workgroup continues to
work with partners, including federal agencies, states, local
governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs)

EPA Office of Water • water_climate_change@epa.gov • www.epa.gov/water/climatechange/ • February 2010

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Goal 4: Water Program Education on
Climate Change

to complete an implementation strategy which will pursue
ways to fund/encourage statewide wetland mapping efforts.
Development of this implementation strategy is ongoing and
will continue over the next two years.

The Coastal Wetlands Initiative was launched in response
to the results of a recent government report about wetland
loss trends in coastal watersheds. The devastation caused
by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, and Ike in 2008,
called attention to the severe threats to coastal areas posed by
climate change. The Initiative lias the goals of:

• Confirming wetland loss and gaining a better
understanding of contributing stressors;

• Identifying and disseminating tools, strategies, policies
and information to protect and restore coastal wetland
resources; and

• Raising awareness of coastal wetlands to include their
function and value, potential threats, and opportunities for
protection and restoration.

The Coastal Wetlands Team will conduct regional reviews
of selected coastal watersheds in order to understand climate
change stressors, restoration strategies, and conservation
strategies to reduce or reverse coastal wetland loss. By
taking a holistic approach to understanding the threats
to coastal wetlands, the Initiative will identify tools and
strategies to help stem the loss of coastal wetland resources.

The NWP has been working to improve the link between
EPA water programs and climate change research. OW
developed a comprehensive research needs compendium
(http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/strategy/), which includes
research needed to address the impacts of climate change,
and lias been working with ORD to integrate climate change
concerns into water-related research plans, as well as to
integrate water issues into climate change research plans.
In addition. OW lias been collaborating with ORD on a
number of projects, including the First National Expert and

Stakeholder Workshop
on Water Infrastructure
Sustainability and
Adaptation to Climate
Change, held in January
2009 (http://www.epa.gov/
nrmrl/wswrd/wqm/wrap/
pdf/workshop/600r09010.
pdf).

Sharing of information is an important part of the NWP's
climate change strategy. To date, highlights include:

• Establishing a State-Tribal Climate Change Council;

• Establishing a climate change and water website;

• Publishing a bi-weekly Climate Change and Water News
e-newsletter; and

• Developing climate change related training materials.

As the NWP moves forward to develop a new Climate
Strategy, OW has established a State-Tribal Climate Change
Council to share information to inform future activities.

Other avenues for sharing and disseminating information
include the Office of Water Climate Change and Water
website (http://www.epa.gov/water/climatechange/), and the
Climate Change and Water News e-newsletter that distribute
news to approximately 1,400 subscribers, available at: http://
www.epa.gov/water/climatecliange/. OW also developed a
training module. The Effects of Climate Change on Water
Resources and Programs (http://www.epa.gov/watertrain/
climatewater/), for the Watershed Academy Program. OW
is currently working to upgrade its climate change website.

To ensure that climate change efforts are sustained as part of
the NWP, the Office of Water has been:

• Continuing to convene the NWP Climate Change
Workgroup; and

• Participating in federal interagency coordination.

The NWP Climate Change Workgroup is chaired by the
Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Office of Water and
managers and senior staff from throughout OW, the ten
EPA Regions and several of the Large Aquatic Ecosystem
program offices. The Workgroup ensures communication,
coordination and ongoing program development to integrate
climate change into EPA's water programs. In addition
to monitoring implementation of the 2008 Strategy, the
Workgroup is working to update Key Actions for 2010 and
2011, as well as to revise the NWP's long term Strategy' for
release in 2012.

OW has also been working with other federal agencies to
ensure government-wide coordination, and develop tools
and methods to address climate change. For example, OW
is co-chairing the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
Climate Change Task Force workgroup on water, working
with the inter-agency Climate Change and Water Working
Group (CCAWWG), and coordinating with the Western
Federal Agency Support Team (WestFAST). OW continues
to seek opportunities to collaborate across the federal
government.

Goal 3: Climate Change Research Related
to Water

Goal 5: Water Program Management of
Climate Change

National Water'
Program Research
Strategy
2009-2014

September 30, 2009

Office of Water

EPA Office of Water • water_climate_change@epa.gov • www.epa.gov/water/climatechange/ • February 2010

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