This three-part webinar series was designed to help small and medium water utilities plan and design for climate change. Based on the feedback we received in a survey and focus groups of water utility managers, the series highlighted approaches and lessons learned from other utilities. Each speaker addressed the following questions in their talk:

• What climate change information did you use?
• How was this work funded?
• What other factors – leadership, data availability, etc. – contributed to the success of this project?

We followed each talk with breakout discussions on existing resources for climate planning in the water sector. To accompany these webinars, we put together a list of climate adaptation resources for Pacific Northwest water managers. Each website included in the document links to a variety of relevant resources including tools, case studies, guidance, and more.

Learn more and watch each of the webinars below. Visit the Water Research Foundation Project page to check out all of the products from this project and other related NOAA projects. 

Learning How to Adapt to a Changing Climate: A Collection of Case Studies from Water Agencies Throughout the U.S. | August 11, 2020

Presenter: Julie Vano | Research Director, Aspen Global Change Institute

This webinar will highlight best practices for water utilities interested in incorporating climate change information into their planning and water management. To do so, it will  draw on real-world examples from utilities across the United States.

Julie Vano is the Research Director at the Aspen Global Change Institute, an organization dedicated to advancing global change science and solutions. Her research integrates elements of hydrology, water resource management, and climate impacts. She works closely with water utilities and US Federal water agencies to connect climate science and decision making. She holds an MS in Land Resources from the University of Wisconsin and a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Washington.

Watch the webinar on YouTube

View webinar and download slides on WRF (Public Plus account needed) 

Climate Adaptation in Public Works | August 18, 2020

Presenter: Fred Buckenmeyer | Director, City of Anacortes – Public Works

In 2003, the City of Anacortes, WA, realized that climate change-driven changes in streamflow, sediment, and sea level rise threatened the city’s water treatment plant. By 2008, however, it was clear that moving the plant would be too costly for the city of 17,000. In this webinar, Fred Buckenmeyer, the Director of Public Works at the city of Anacortes, will share how Anacortes designed its new water treatment plant to account for these climate risks. The webinar will also address Anacortes’ recent analysis of its wastewater system, which the city conducted to ensure that it has capacity for current and future rain events.

Fred Buckenmeyer has worked for the City for 16 years serving the community of Anacortes as the Public Works Director and previously served the City of Mount Vernon for 22 years as their Public Works Director.  Over that time, he has appreciated the many things that make our local community great; the people who live here, the goods and services from businesses within the City, the open space and amenities everyone can enjoy, and the sense of safety throughout the City.  The services and work performed by the Public Works Department are no exception.  Under his threshold, Fred leads a dynamic group of professionals and oversees the following divisions:  Wastewater, Water Treatment Plant System and Distribution,  Engineering, Facilities, Operations (street, solid waste, and fleet), and resource conservation.

Watch the webinar on Youtube

Watch the webinar and download the slides on WRF (Public Plus account needed) 

Throw Away Your Crystal Ball: A Stress Testing Approach to Infrastructure Planning Under Climate Change Uncertainty | August 25, 2020

Presenter: Nishant Parulekar | Civil Engineer, City of Portland – Bureau of Environmental Services

Uncertainty and extreme scenarios can make using climate models a challenge. In this webinar, Nishant Parulekar of the City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) will share how BES responded to this challenge by piloting a new technique to understand how its wastewater and stormwater systems would perform under a range of precipitation conditions. Nishant will describe how BES conducted a sensitivity analysis of its system to determine thresholds for impacts that the utility could then compare to climate projections.

Nishant Parulekar is a professional Civil Engineer with the City of Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services in the Integrated Planning Group and manager of its Resiliency team. Nishant has over 12 years of experience in wastewater and water projects including hydraulic modeling, asset management, and master planning.  He was the project manager for the Bureau’s Resiliency Master Plan and technical lead for its seismic resiliency component.  He currently focuses on using asset management to support planning and capital implementation efforts for seismic and climate resiliency projects.

Watch the webinar on Youtube

Watch the webinar and download the slides on WRF (Public Plus account needed)