Federal Workgroup Drafts Recommendations On Improving Water Resources Climate Resiliency

Last week AMWA staff participated in a meeting of the Climate Change and Water Resources Workgroup of the Federal Advisory Committee on Water Information (ACWI).  The workgroup is developing recommendations for key actions to improve adaptation of water resources to a changing climate in response to the President’s Executive Order on Climate Change Preparedness.

Specifically, Section 3 of the Order requires the heads of several federal agencies to work with the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and the Office of Management and Budget to make program and policy changes to make “watersheds, natural resources and ecosystems” and the “communities that depend on them” more climate resilient.

The workgroup’s recommendations are organized by five topic areas, which were identified in the 2011 National Action Plan for Managing Freshwater Resources in a Changing Climate: improve data for water resources and climate information; strengthen climate vulnerability assessment; improve water use efficiency; support integrated water resources management and educate water resource managers; and build capacity.

Recommendations will be sent to CEQ for consideration in March.  Workgroup participants include water resources experts from several federal agencies including EPA, Department of the Interior, Army Corps of Engineers, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Department of Agriculture.  In addition, at least a dozen professional associations and non-profit groups, including AMWA, are workgroup members.