&EPA

United States
Environmental Protection
Agency

CLIMATE CHANGE & WATER • FACT SHEET

EPA Regional and Large Aquatic Ecosystem Programs
Highlights of Progress 2007-2009

Implementing the NWP Strategy: Response to Climate Change

EPA Region 1

Region 1 is supporting the EPA National Water Program
Climate Change Strategy through programs that address
both climate change mitigation and adaptation needs and
resources. Region 1 is internally addressing climate change
through establishing a Climate Change Network, holding
"Climate 101" seminars, and hosting a regional conference
on climate change impacts. Region 1 lias also conducted
extensive education and outreach, holding a series of

workshops, conferences, and
meetings.

Four Climate Ready Estuary
(CRE) pilot projects are
underway with the Casco
Bay Estuary Partnership, the
Massachusetts Bays Program,
the Piscataqua Region
Estuaries Partnership, and the
Long Island Sound Study, a
Region 1 & 2 National Estuary
Program (NEP). In addition,
the New England Environmental Finance Center is piloting
the COAST sea level rise action evaluation tool. Region 1
is also working with the Gulf of Maine Council's Climate
Change Network and Ecosystem Indicators Partnership to
develop climate change indicators based on sea level rise, air
temperature, and precipitation data.

The Region released "A Guide to Residential Green
Building" in New England in March 2008 and has a popular
Green Building website: http://www.epa.gov/regionl/topics/
envpractice/gbuildings.html. The new Region 1 office and
regional laboratory also incorporate green building design.

For additional information regarding Region 1 's water
and climate programs, visit: http://www.epa.gov/regionl/
climatccliaiigc7index.html. or contact Mel Cote, e-mail:
cote.mel@epa.gov; phone: (617) 918-1553.

Region 2 is focusing their climate change and water
programs on the protection of coral reefs in the Caribbean

through promoting the Coral Reef Team and providing
grants for outreach and education that support the 2008
International Year of the Reef. Region 2 and EPA's Office of
Research and Development (ORD) have played an important
role in efforts to characterize impacts to coral degradation
from both local and global stressors, including land-based
sources of pollution and climate change.

Three CRE projects are underway: the Bamegat Bay Estuary
Program: the Long Island Sound Study, a Region 1 & 2
NEP; and the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary (PDE), a
Region 2 & 3 NEP. PDE created a team to estimate the value
of losses/changes in natural capital from climate change
effects and to demonstrate how ecosystem services valuation
can be utilized to facilitate adaptation planning.

A Green Team was established to coordinate green
initiatives, including green buildings, and to implement the
WaterSense Program. Region 2 also established a Climate
Change/Energy Workgroup to coordinate and track energy
and climate change activities.

Additional information on Region 2's climate change
activities can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/region2/
climate/ or contact Patricia Pechko, e-mail:
pecliko.patricia@epa.gov; phone: (212) 637-3796.

Region 3 is focusing their water and climate change
programs on outreach to wastewater and water treatment
plants by conducting multiple workshops on energy
and water use for water/wastewater infrastructure. In
cooperation with the U.S Department of Energy, Region 3's
Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program is working
with energy companies on permit requirements for the
construction and operation of coal bed sequestration sites.

The PDE was chosen as one of six NEP pilot projects,
receiving targeted support from the CRE Program, lead by
the EPA Office of Water (0W) and the Office of Air and
Radiation (OAR). Region 3 is collaborating with Region
2, the PDE. OAR, and contractors to incorporate ecosystem
services impacts and implement a methodology for
identifying and valuing the ecological impacts of sea level
rise on the New Jersey portion of the Delaware Estuary. 1

Photo: Casco Bay Estuary Partnership

EPA Region 2

EPA Region 3

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

-------
The Region has begun to integrate its programs through
a monthly Energy Team meeting. Region 3 is also
collaborating with Regions 2, 9 and EPA ORD to develop
a Climate Change Adaptation Workshop, planned for June
2010.

For additional information regarding Region 3's water and
climate programs, visit: http://www.epa.gov/region03/
index.htm or contact Joe Piotrowski, e-mail:
piotrowski.joe@epa.gov: phone: (215) 814-5715.

Region 4 is focusing climate change and water work in three
key areas: preparing the southeast for adaptation, supporting
energy efficiency at southeastern utilities, and demonstrating
the potential for geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide.

Key regional activities include:

*	The Region hosted a training workshop for over 100 local
officials that presented the energy-water relationships

for water/wastewater infrastructure and discussed grant
eligibility of energy management project elements and
actions;

*	The Region issued two UIC Class V permits for C02 test
wells in Kentucky to the Kentucky Geologic Survey and
Duke Energy.

*	Five CRE projects are underway in the Region. The
Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program prepared the
first CRE regional product, a Climate Change Adaptation
Plan for the City of Punta Gorda, Florida.

*	The Region also delivered 17 Sustainable Infrastructure/
Energy Management presentations and provided outreach
material at workshops and conferences in six states; and

*	The Region partnered with OAR and OW to organize
a Southeast Regional Adaptation Workshop (http://epa.
gov7rcgion4/clean_energy/conferences, html), convening
local, state and federal stakeholders to explore regional
collaboration to address climate change.

Additional information can be found at: http://www.epa.
gov/region4/clcaii energy/climatechange.html. Region
4's contact for energy and climate change is Ken Mitchell;
e-mail: mitchell.ken@epa.gov; phone: (404) 562-9065.

Region 5 is addressing climate change through a variety of
outreach and educational efforts, as well as through pilot
projects that assist public utilities in their efforts to improve
water efficiency and reduce the amount of energy used to
transport and treat drinking water and wastewater.

The Region's Water Division has focused on several
mitigation related activities including energy management at
water and wastewater facilities, water conservation through

the promotion of WaterSense,

Green Infrastructure
initiatives, and involvement
in developing geologic
sequestration regulations. In
addition, the Region focused
on several activities related
to adaptation including
evaluating opportunities
to address climate change
impacts at municipalities,
sustainable water
infrastructure, and emergency
response planning.

Region 5 will continue outreach and technical assistance
efforts with state and local partners in 2010, as well as work
to incoiporate climate change activities into daily program
work. For additional information, visit: http://www.epa.gov/
r5water/ or contact: Kate Balasa, e-mail:
balasa.kate@epa.gov; phone: (312) 886-6027.

Recently, Region 6 completed the development of a multi-
media Clean Energy and Climate Change Strategy, available

at: http://www.epa.gov/region6/climatechange/strategy.htm.
The cross-program strategy prioritizes activities to conserve
energy and resources, reduce greenhouse gases, adapt to
climate change impacts, and promote clean/renewable energy
sources.

Region 6 hosted the first Climate Change Summit (http://
www.epa.gov/region6/climatechange/summit.htm) with
state partners for senior managers from state environmental,
agricultural, energy, conservation, and water resource
development to discuss clean energy and climate change.

An inventory of climate change adaptation and mitigation
projects in Texas and Louisiana is also under development
and review by members of the Region 6 Climate Change
Workgroup. The pilot-scale initiative will enhance Region
6 and its partners' ability to identify the types of climate
change projects to target.

Region 6 has also focused on improving energy efficiency at
water and waste water utilities, developing geological C02
sequestration regulations, and developing responses to sea
level rise and coastal land loss.

For additional information regarding Region 6's water
and climate programs, visit: http://www.epa.gov/region6/
climatechange/water.htm or contact Jim Brown, e-mail:
brown.jamesr@epa.gov; phone: (214) 665-3175.

EPA Region 4

EPA Region 6

EPA Region 5

Clean Energy and
Climate Change Strategy

Environmental Challenges,
Goals and Objectives

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

-------
EPA Region 7

Region 7's 2009 water and climate change work emphasized
both mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation activities
included improving energy management and water
conservation by promoting the WaterSense program,
promoting green infrastructure, and supporting carbon
sequestration research and development. Adaptation
activities focused on source water protection, sustainable
water infrastructure, and wetlands protection.

Some highlights of activities that will continue into 2010
include:

•	Region 7 is working with 12 communities as a pilot project
to evaluate and improve energy management in order to
reduce costs, improve treatment, and reduce enviromnental
impacts;

•	Along with EPA ORD. Region 7 is participating on the
project team for Kansas City, Missouri's Green Solutions
Project to determine the effects of implementing various
elements of green infrastructure in a 100-acre urban study
area; and

•	Region 7, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land
Stewardship, and other state and federal organizations are
partnering to develop a pilot program for an integrated
drainage and wetland landscape system.

For additional information regarding Region 7's water
programs, visit: http://www.epa.gov/region7/water/index.
htm or contact Karen Floumoy, e-mail:
flournoy.kareti@epa.gov; phone: (913) 551-7782.

Region 8 has been very active over the past year in

facilitating mitigation activities throughout the Region.

Key regional activities include:

•	Region 8 is leading-by-example with their state-of-the-art
green building, which has received LEED (Leadership

in Energy and Enviromnental Design) Gold certification
by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for new
construction, and is being used as a laboratory for green
building design and operating techniques;

•	The Region is achieving results through EPA's voluntary
partnership programs and initiatives, including ENERGY
STAR®;, WasteWise, the Coal Combustion Products
Partnership, Smart Way, and the Federal Electronics
Challenge;

•	Region 8 is also achieving results through other means,
such as revitalization of contaminated lands, enforcement
actions, climate change education, and other ongoing
program activities; and

•	Region 8 is conducting multiple trainings for
municipalities to implement conservation measures at
water treatment facilities.

Adaptation activities will be the focus of efforts in the
coming year. Region 8 is developing a decision tree for
addressing climate change considerations for National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews focusing on
water-related projects. Region 8 is also evaluating methods
for using enviromnental indicators to inform adaptation
decision-making.

For additional information about Region 8's climate change
programs, visit: http://www.epa.gov/region8/climatechange/
or contact Carol Russell, e-mail: rassell.carol@epa.gov;
phone: (303) 312-6310.

The Irvine Ranch Water District provides recycled water for toiletflushing in high rise buildings in
Irvine, California. For new buildings over seven stories, the additional cost of providing a dual system
added only 9% to the cost of plumbing.

Region 9's primary focus is on promoting sustainable
infrastructure, especially through water and energy efficiency
at water and wastewater facilities. This is accomplished
through developing tools and conducting workshops and
benchmarking classes. Over 200 facilities have attended
workshops and 35 are using ENERGY STAR Portfolio
Manager.

The Region has the only EPA website dedicated to water
recycling focusing on recycled water from centralized
wastewater treatment facilities. The website (www.epa.gov/

region9/water/recycling/) will be expanded to cover grey
water reuse from residential homes.

Region 9 also developed "EPA Recommended Green
Practices for Federally Funded Projects" in the areas of
diesel emission reduction strategies, smart energy practices,
green remediation, green building and construction practices,
water management, and environmentally preferable
purchasing. This list of enviromnental best practices was
distributed to states and is intended to be used in regional
grant awards in the future. It is available at: http://www.epa.
gov/recovery/recommendations. html.

3

EPA Region 8

EPA Region 9

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

-------
Large Aquatic Ecosystem (LAE) Programs

Other activities underway include: promoting renewable
energy production at wastewater treatment facilities;
supporting the CRE program for San Francisco Bay;
promoting green infrastructure practices through Municipal
Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permits and American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding;
supporting the Region's climate change speaker series;
and participating on California's Water/Energy Team to
implement the state's climate change legislation.

For additional information regarding Region 9's climate
change programs, visit: http://www.epa.gov/region09/
climatechange/ or contact Cheryl McGovern, e-mail:
mcgovern.cheryl@epa.gov; phone: (415) 972-3415.

Region 10 is supporting the Climate Change Strategy by
focusing on improvements in energy efficiency at water and
wastewater utilities, implementing the WaterSense program,
and promoting energy savings through green buildings.

Key activities include:

•	Region 10 is promoting the WaterSense program
internally and at public events. In FY 2009, the Region's
WaterSense program recruited 11 new irrigation partners
and 21 new promotional partners;

•	Region 10 is collaborating with ORD's Regional Applied
Research Effort in research on the relationship of leachate,
groundwater, and thawing permafrost in up to five Tribal
communities in rural Alaska;

•	The Region is partnering with the U.S. Geologic Survey
(USGS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
to lead the creation of a climate change-oriented
association of federal agencies working in the Pacific
Northwest. The Climate Change Collaboration meets
regularly to share information regarding climate change
work and research;

•	Region 10 has also been working with partners to
understand potential carbon offset measures and market
mechanisms for biological sequestration through forest
practices;

•	The 40-year old Region 10 Headquarters building is
in the process of upgrading to LEED Platinum, with
the installation of a green roof and an onsite rainwater
collection and reuse system; and

•	Region 10 focused 2008 Puget Sound appropriations
on watershed protection and land use impacts on water
quality. These grants encourage local governments with
land use authority to develop appropriate information and
tools so they can make better decisions.

To learn more about Region 10's water and climate
programs, visit: http://yosemite.epa.gov/rlO/water.nsf/
homepage/water or contact Paula VanHaagen, e-mail:
vanliaagen.paula@epa.gov; phone: (206) 553-6977.

Chesapeake Bay

The Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration Executive
Order signed in May 2009 established a Federal Leadership
Committee that will oversee the development and
coordination of reporting, data management, and other
activities by agencies involved in Bay restoration. Part of
the work includes a concerted effort to coordinate climate
change science and adaptation throughout the watershed.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) and USGS will work closely with EPA and
other federal and state partners to coordinate existing
climate programs to provide the science and assistance to
adapt to potential impacts of climate change on the Bay
and its watershed. The coordinated effort will allow for
collaboration among all levels of government, universities,
and nonprofit and private organizations, and would be
undertaken with consideration of an emerging national
network of regional climate services.

Each federal agency with restoration and protection
responsibilities in the Bay region will consider climate
change as they implement responsibilities to protect
communities, critical habitats, and species. The combination
of federal and state efforts is important for developing
and communicating information vital to address the
impacts of climate on water quality and increase resiliency
of communities and valuable habitats to the impacts
of a changing climate. These efforts will result in the
development of the predictive tools for addressing adaptation
action in the near-term and provide projections needed for
planning management for the long-term.

The draft strategy is available at: http://executiveorder.
chesapeakebay.net/category/Reports-Documents.aspx.

Columbia River Basin

The Columbia River Basin
LAE is focused on toxics
reduction for human health
and ecosystem protection
and restoration. Toxics
reduction efforts through
tributary restoration may
indirectly help mitigate future climate change impacts. The
Columbia River Federal Caucus, of which EPA serves as a
member, is currently exploring identifying climate change
as a focus issue for FY 2010 Columbia River federal agency
integration and coordination efforts.

For additional information, visit: http://yosemite.epa.gov/
r 10/ecocomm. nsf/Columbia/Columbia.

4

EPA Region 10

View from Dog Mountain Trail in Skamania
County, WA.

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

-------
Great Lakes Program

The Great Lakes Program's primary focus has been on a
multi-agency effort to coordinate federal work under the
Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) on impacts
and adaptation information. The Understanding Climate
Change Impacts (UCCI) to the Great Lakes initiative will
focus on projects that have identified that 1) there is a clear
need articulated by the Great Lakes community: 2) there is
a gap in knowledge, decision support tools, or work being
undertaken by partners; and 3) there is a federal comparative
advantage in performing the work instead of other partners.
These projects focus on baseline monitoring, data, and
research; downscaling models; education, outreach and
communication; building capacity of end-users in the Great
Lakes community; and engaging partners in steering this
program.

For additional information on GLRI, please visit: http://
www.epa.gov/glnpo/glri/.

Gulf of Mexico Program

Building on successes of the first Action Plan (2006-2009),
the Gulf of Mexico Alliance and their partners developed
the Governors' Action Plan II, a farther reaching five-year
regional plan developed to address four major challenges
to healthy and resilient communities in the Gulf of Mexico
region: sustaining the Gulf economy; improving ecosystem
health; mitigating the impacts of and adapting to climate
changes; and mitigating harmful effects to coastal water
quality. Being aware of the relative vulnerability of these
coastal areas to climate change related effects will help
communities consider the longer-term costs associated with
protecting natural resources, including the costs of elevating
or relocating their infrastructure and people. Strategic
mitigation and planning can increase a community's
resilience to climate change impacts. The specific actions
provided in the Governors' Action Plan II present a
framework for ascertaining the ecological changes and
enhancing both the natural and built resources, thus creating
more sustainable coastal communities. For additional
information on the specific actions planned by the Gulf of
Mexico Alliance's Coastal Community Resilience Team,
visit: http://gulfofmexicoalliance.org/issues/resilience.html.

The Gulf of Mexico Program is a key federal partner
supporting the Gulf of Mexico Alliance that works directly
with the regional Sea-Grant Programs on their regional
research initiatives. These initiatives focus on climate
change impacts and review of federal and state coastal laws.
Additional information on the Gulf of Mexico program can
be found at: http://www.epa.gov/gmpo/.

Lake Champlain

The Lake Champlain LAE works closely with the Lake
Champlain Basin Program (LCBP), a partnership of
government agencies from New York, Vermont, and Quebec,
private organizations, local communities, and individuals,
working together to coordinate and fund efforts which
benefit the Lake Champlain Basin's water quality, fisheries,
wetlands, wildlife, recreation, and cultural resources. LCBP
developed a Request for Proposals (RFP) for addressing
climate change adaptation in the Lake Champlain basin,
specifically regarding changes in precipitation patterns and
implications for the management of the lake.

Additional information regarding LCBP can be found at:
http://www.lcbp.org. For more information on EPA's Lake
Champlain LAE program, contact: Erik Beck, e-mail:
beck.erik@epa.gov; phone: (617) 918-1606.

Long Island Sound Study (LISS)

The LISS received a Partner Startup Grant and a Direct
Technical Assistance Grant through EPA's CRE program.
The Partner Startup Grant was used to develop a coastal
climate adaptation plan to define the roles of the various
levels of government in climate adaptation. Key partners
including the International Council for Local Environmental
Initiatives (ICLEI) and the Town of Groton, CT worked
with LISS to lead workshops and establish four work groups
on infrastructure, natural resources and ecological habitats,
agriculture, and health. The Direct Technical Assistance
Grant will be used for a project titled "Climate Change
Vulnerability Assessment for Long Island Sound via Sentinel
Monitoring." The objective of this project is to develop a
strategy to quantify, via sentinel monitoring, the impacts of
climate change on Long Island Sound, as well as to assess
the Sound's vulnerability to those impacts. Identified

5

Spring flooding in the Lake Champlain watershed

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

-------
indicators will be used to direct priorities for adaptation
planning by the states of Connecticut and New York, local
municipalities, and other partner organizations.

For addition information, please visit: http://www.
longislandsoundstudy.net/index.htm.

Pacific Islands

The Pacific Islands Office
in Region 9 has been
working to address climate
change and water issues
by focusing on three main
areas in the Pacific Islands:
water quality protection and
improvement; outreach,
education and collaboration
on climate change issues;
and sustainable military

Manu 'a Islands, American Samoa	buildup on Guam.

Projects include:

•	Promoting water conservation and efficiency at public
utilities through innovative State Revolving Fund (SRF)
projects;

•	Co-sponsoring the June 2009 Pacific Islands Enviromnent
Conference on Climate Change: Energizing a Sustainable
Future for Pacific Islands. The conference, which took
place on Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, hosted sessions
on various climate change and water issues including coral
reef protection, adaptation strategies for Pacific Islands,
and efficiency for water and wastewater services; and

•	Working with the Department of Defense (DoD) and other
federal resource agencies to ensure efficient, renewable
and sustainable practices are included in the military
buildup on Guam. This includes improving drinking water
and wastewater compliance with enviromnental standards,
utilizing low impact development and green infrastructure
for new construction and minimizing marine habitat
disturbance.

For additional information on EPA's work in the Pacific
Islands, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/region09/islands/.

Puget Sound - Georgia Basin

The Puget Sound Partnership's Action Agenda calls for
actions to adapt to and mitigate climate change. The Action
Agenda recognizes that climate change will exacerbate the
existing threats to Puget Sound. It expects climate change
impacts to be considered when evaluating potential actions.
In addition, many of the strategies and actions to protect
and restore Puget Sound will also serve as mitigation and
adaptation measures.

Region 10 included climate change as a factor in its
November 2009 RFP for Puget Sound "Watershed
Management Assistance" grants, which will provide
approximately $10 million in funding. It cites the following:
"In all proposed projects, EPA encourages applicants to
factor in the impacts of climate change. EPA recognizes that
addressing climate change is broad and multifaceted. In the
context of this RFP, climate change information would be
an additional overlay in evaluating proposed activities and
result in actions that mitigate climate change impacts. The
actions would lead to more robust protection and restoration,
and more resilient watersheds and underlying hydrologic
functions."

For additional information, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/
regionlO/psgb/.

San Francisco

Within the San Francisco Bay LAE, the San Francisco
Estuary Partnership, the Bay Conservation and Development
Commission and EPA ORD's Global Change Research
Program are working on a pilot project under the CRE
Program to identify key vulnerabilities of the San Francisco
Estuary to climate change. The assessment will take
advantage of significant work that is already underway in
the region, particularly on sea level rise, to support further
analysis of climate drivers and ecosystem effects.

For additional information, please visit: http://www.
sfestuary.org/projects/detail2.php?projectID=4.

South Florida

To address the issues surrounding the South Florida
ecosystem EPA is working in partnership with several local,
regional, state and federal agencies. The goal is to assure
the long-term sustainability of the region's varied natural
resources while providing for the coexistence of extensive
agricultural operations and a continually expanding human
population. The EPA South Florida Geographic Initiative
targets efforts to protect and restore various communities and
ecosystems impacted by enviromnental problems. Under
this initiative. Region 4 works with stakeholders to develop
and implement coimnunity-based approaches to mitigate
diffuse sources of pollution and cumulative risk.

For additional information, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/
region4/water/soutlifiorida/.

For more information about climate change and EPA's Large
Aquatic Ecosystem Programs, please contact Abby Nickels,
e-mail: nickels.abby@epa.gov; phone: (202) 566-6977.

6

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

-------
(A

£

©

t/>

>.

(/)
o
o
Hi

§-

S-S2

<©
*-*

© «5
re

~



E



2



o>



o





.2

ol



_c

H)
Q

(J)



CO

>>

CQ

cu



CQ

0

o

>

o

h£

CO

CO

'o

c

1q

2

E

LL

=3

C

O

03

0

1

CO

I

-------