Energy and Environment MonitorThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a draft report on October 2, 2008 that attempts to address pollution, rising sea levels, droughts and other water management issues raised by climate change. EPA's National Water Program outlines 44 action items. The report references increases in water pollution, storm intensity, erosion, water demand and drought as just a few of the risks that climate change poses to water resources. Others include diminishing, less reliable or poorer quality drinking water supplies and warming aquatic ecosystems, which may experience shifts in native species and increases in invasive ones.
The strategies, developed in 2007 by an internal EPA working group, are intended to guide the agency's water programs, including those created under the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act, to focus on climate repercussions.
The five categories of climate-related actions in the document are mitigation, adaptation, research, education and water program management. All will be initiated within fiscal year 2008-09, with some to be completed within that time frame and others to be implemented over several years.
Strategies for assessing water discharge permits will be developed. Another strategy involves re-examining drinking water standards to address the changing nature and extent of contaminants created by increased runoff and erosion.
The National Water Program document also highlights "the decision to expand water program efforts related to greenhouse gas mitigation rather than only focus on water program adaptation.
This article was authored by Kathy G. Beckett, Jackson Kelly PLLC. For more information on the author see here.
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