Committee Report: Sustainability of water resources depends on implementing our knowledge on climate variability

AWWA created the Climate Change Committee to prepare the association's members for the “new‐normal” scenario, in which the potential effects of climate change must be considered for long‐term sustainability of our local, regional, national, and global water resources. Those effects may be more or less severe depending on each utility's location and situation, but what the committee is recommending is that each utility assess its vulnerability to climate change and prioritize mitigation and adaptation measures in the context of other risks to their operations. Climate change effects on water resources need to be managed through short‐ and long‐term mitigation and adaptation strategies. These strategies are responses to either mitigate adverse effects or adapt to the “new‐normal” (i.e., changed water resources) conditions. Water resources planning and management will require greater focus on risk management, integrated resource planning, and holistic or systems thinking as well as decision‐support tools specific to climate change that can be included in integrated modeling systems to manage regional water resources. Such planning requires an understanding of relationships among physical factors, water resources, infrastructure, regulations, and operational practices.