To fulfill our pubic duty to protect our customers, staff was asked about
Potential Impact of Climate Change on Water Utilities
Bruce Brown responded ->
The following is being forwarded to the Board at the request of Bruce Brown…
Board of Supervisors,
At a recent board meeting, a Board Supervisor asked if our Utility Engineers are engaged with our local and national partners in regard to the evaluation of the potential impacts of Climate Change on our Utility Systems/Operations, and if we had completed any internal assessments. Vikus Water monitors the climate change issue, studies, and literature on our behalf; however, they have only minor concerns about utility impacts within our capital planning periods. A summary from Vikus Water is outlined below:
Sea Level Rise/Storm Surge: Because of our location, the utilities will not have issues with sea rise for the foreseeable future.
Water Source: Municipalities most concerned about climate change are those that use surface water. NSCUDD system uses Lower Florida wells (old aquifers) ground water that won’t be affected by seasonal drought conditions.
Severe Weather (Flooding or Droughts):
o Hurricanes: Additional storms could cause electrical outages. However, the treatment plants have onsite backup power, meet class I reliability and most of the electrical grid is below ground, making it more robust. The storm systems have proven reliability to handle intense storm events.
o Drought: If drought conditions were experienced, the water conservation (irrigation systems) would lose much of the source water (stormwater) and would require more use of the wells and groundwater.
Temperature: Moderate temperature increases should not have an impact on ability to treat water or wastewater.
In discussion with SWFWMD, their primary focus on climate change initiatives appears to be concentrated on coastal regions, which is a rational approach, given the pressing issue of rising sea levels and the potential repercussions for coastal communities. The increased risk of intensified storms also holds greater relevance for coastal areas. See link
Sea Level Rise and Resiliency | WaterMatters.org. Vikus Water are members of AWWA and FWRC, they have published recent articles primarily deal with rising sea levels and source water issues, which are attached.
We (District Utilities, Vikus Water & Jacobs) do exchange both data and information with SWFMWD and SJWMD. They are actively engaged in conducting research and computer modeling to better predict and reduce uncertainties, analyze vulnerabilities in the current water management system and develop effective adaption strategies for the future; which are shared amongst all Utilities in the State of Florida.
Likewise, numerous studies of the potential impact of Climate Change on Water Utilities have been completed by United States Environmental Protection Agency, & Environmental Defense Fund.
Links are below:
Climate Impacts on Water Utilities | US EPA
Climate Impacts on Water Utilities | US EPA
Ch03-Obey.pdf (floridaclimateinstitute.org)
https://floridaclimateinstitute.org/.../Ch03-Obey.pdf
water_managment.pdf (fau.edu)
https://www.ces.fau.edu/publications..._managment.pdf
Climate Adaptation and Water Utility Operations | US EPA
Climate Adaptation and Water Utility Operations | US EPA
Our next NSCUDD board meeting will be this coming Monday at 3PM at SeaBreeze Rec Center and I will be the chair for this meeting.