Water Sector Law and Policy
This tab includes laws and policies for avoiding or reducing climate change impacts in the water sector, including best practices and legal and policy analysis. Apply additional filters to narrow the list by resource type, impact, jurisdictional focus, state, or region.
105 results are shown below.
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Resource
August 2011
In this report the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has compiled local and regional research findings about the water-related impacts of climate change in 12 U. S. cities. NRDC examined more than 75 scientific studies, as well as data and reports generated by government agencies and nonprofit organizations. The report makes clear that some of the most profound effects of climate change are water-related, such as sea-level rise, increased rain and storms, flooding, and drought, and that these kinds of events are likely to increase in the coming years as a result of climate change.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Mark Dorfman, Michelle Mehta, Ben Chou, Steve Fleischli, Kirsten Sinclair Rosselot
Resource Category: Solutions
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January 2011
This Climate Ready Water Utilities (CRWU) report contains recommendations to assist drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater systems across the nation to increase their resilience to climate change impacts. EPA convened a CRWU Working Group under the National Drinking Water Advisory Council (NDWAC) in 2009, and the CRWU Report was delivered to EPA in January 2011. The general premise is that climate change represents an important challenge for drinking water and wastewater utilities and should be considered in all aspects of utility planning.
Resource Category: Planning
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Resource
2011
This report identifies the information and research needed to provide a basis for the feasibility of direct potable reuse (DPR), which is the introduction of purified water into a water supply distribution system or the raw water supply immediately upstream of a water treatment plant. Topics discussed include issues regarding public acceptance, engineering, economics, and regulations. Although the background information on DPR and the needed research identified in this report are applicable across the country and throughout the world, the primary focus is on providing information so that the feasibility of DPR can be evaluated in California.
Authors or Affiliated Users: George Tchobanoglous, Harold Leverenz, Margaret H. Nellor, James Crook
Resource Category: Solutions
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Resource
2011
From the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC), Rooftops to Rivers II describes the challenges of managing stormwater, and the benefits and economics of employing green infrastructure to do so. The report explains how population growth, changing landscapes, aging infrastructure, and climate change are placing increasing pressures on stormwater management. Highly detailed case studies are developed for 14 cities that are all leaders in employing green infrastructure solutions to address stormwater challenges.
Resource Category: Solutions
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December 20, 2010
In 2010, EPA's Office of Water produced this 11-minute video which highlights innovative efforts by green builders in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who are helping protect and restore environmental quality and beautify the city.
Resource Category: Education and Outreach
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October 4, 2010
This U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) policy statement emphasizes the need for EPA to build on existing efforts to promote sustainable water infrastructure. EPA will work with states and water systems to employ comprehensive planning processes to deliver projects that are cost effective, resource efficient, and consistent with community sustainability goals.
Resource Category: Solutions
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September 17, 2010
The article argues that viewing climate change impacts on water supply as an ongoing emergency could provide a more productive framework for initiating and implementing adaptation strategies. Classifying climate change’s impacts on water supply as a real crisis allows adaptation planning to become a form of emergency preparedness, and could provide needed flexibility both legally and politically. An analysis of property rights barriers in the context of implementing adaptation strategies to help with the water supply crisis is provided.
Resource Category: Law and Governance
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February 2010
The European Commission (EC) supported the Collaborative project "PREPARED Enabling Change" (PREPARED), which worked with a group of European urban water utilities to develop strategies to address potential climate change impacts on the water and sanitation sectors.
Resource Category: Solutions
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Resource
2010
Rainscaping Iowa, an educational campaign that promotes urban stormwater management practices, encourages the use of permeable pavement by featuring successful installations in the state. By gathering feedback on previous projects, Rainscaping Iowa simultaneously highlights the environmental benefits of permeable surfaces and provides lessons for future installations and maintenance. Importantly, the campaign’s literature describes how permeable paving surfaces can help reduce runoff and improve water quality in the face of changing precipitation and increasing heavy rainfall events.
Resource Category: Solutions
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Resource
December 2009
A Community-Based Conservation green infrastructure program was implemented in Tucson, Arizona’s Rincon Heights neighborhood by the Watershed Management Group (WMG) and the Rincon Heights Neighborhood Association (RHNA).
Resource Category: Solutions
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