Climate Ready Water Utilities Working Group
National Drinking Water Advisory Council’s
Climate Ready Water Utilities Working Group
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Water Program Strategy: Response to Climate Change (2008) identified the need to provide drinking water and wastewater utilities with easy-to-use resources to assess the risk associated with climate change and to identify potential adaptation strategies. The National Drinking Water Advisory Council (NDWAC), established under the Safe Drinking Water Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 300f et seq.), provides practical and independent advice, consultation and recommendations to the Agency on the activities, functions and policies related to the implementation of the Safe Drinking Water Act. On May 28, 2009, the NDWAC voted on and approved the formation of the Climate Ready Water Utilities (CRWU) Working Group. The Working Group will have five face-to-face meetings over the course of the next year in addition to conference calls and/or video conferencing on an as needed basis. After the Working Group completes its charge, it will make recommendations to the full NDWAC. The full NDWAC will, in turn, make appropriate recommendations to the EPA.
Working Group Charge
The charge for the CRWU Working Group is to evaluate the concept of “Climate Ready Water Utilities” and provide recommendations to the full NDWAC on the development of an effective program for drinking water and wastewater utilities, including recommendations to: (1) Define and develop a baseline understanding of how to use available information to develop climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies, including ways to integrate this information into existing complementary programs such as the Effective Utility Management and Climate Ready Estuaries Program; (2) Identify climate change-related tools, training, and products that address short-term and long-term needs of water and wastewater utility managers, decision makers, and engineers, including ways to integrate these tools and training into existing programs; and (3) Incorporate mechanisms to provide recognition or incentives that facilitate broad adoption of climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies by the water sector into existing EPA Office of Water recognition and awards programs or new recognition programs.
Meetings and AgendasAll documents are in PDF format. Meeting #1
Meeting #2 Meeting #3 Meeting #4 Meeting #5 Federal Partners
|
Background DocumentsResources
Related Conferences and EventsCRWU Working Group MembersCo-chairs
Working Group Members
|