Water Industry Climate Change Research Needs Workshop (pdf, 2.49 mb)

As input to the expert panel in development of a Strategic Plan for the Climate Change Strategic Initiative, an expert workshop was held in Denver, Colorado on January 8 and 9, 2008. The workshop was co-sponsored by the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) and UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR). Fifty-seven participants from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia representing water utilities, private research institutes, academia, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and consulting firms, as well as other industry professionals, convened to develop a comprehensive, multi-year research agenda spanning water, wastewater, and urban stormwater. This research agenda included understanding climate change impacts at a local level, developing approaches and tools for adapting to climate change, and developing approaches and tools for reducing greenhouse gas emissions resulting from water management practices. The second goal of the workshop was to develop a set of detailed project descriptions to fulfill the research agenda. The workshop report provides primary input to the expert panel’s effort to develop strategic initiative objectives.