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7555

Resilience Planning and Adaptation Training for Water and Wastewater Utilites

6.5

Drinking Water and Wastewater

US EPA - Region III, Drinking Water Branch

Patti Kay Wisniewski

wisniewski.patti-kay@epa.gov

215-814-5668 Ext.

Partner Website

The course is a hands-on training on the USEPA Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool (CREAT). CREAT is part of the Creating Resilient Water Utilities (CRWU) initiative, which provides the water sector with the practical tools, training, and technical assistance needed to increase resilience to extreme weather events. CREAT is a web-based risk assessment application, which helps drinking water, wastewater and stormwater utilities in adapting to extreme weather events through a better understanding of current and future climate conditions. The course objectives are: -Better understand climate change impacts in order to protect utility infrastructure and ensure the continued provision of clean and safe water to utility customers; -Begin the process of conducting a climate change risk assessment using CREAT; and -Identify and share information on adaptation strategies to reduce risk from climate change impacts.

Basic/Precertification

One-day training course features hands-on training of the web-based Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool (CREAT), three short presentations and a small group exercise Materials include: -Web-based application CREAT -Presentation slide deck explaining the five modules of CREAT -Polling questions for background on audience and to pose periodic knowledge checks -Presentation slide deck by Capital Region Water on how it implemented mitigation options following flooding events that damaged their facilities, and how they used CREAT to look into the future and conduct additional resilience planning -Presentation slide deck by Department of Earth and Environmental Policy at Lehigh University on climate projections for the northeast and potential water sector impacts -Presentation slide deck by PA Infrastructure Investment Authority (PennVEST) on financial resources utilities can apply for to fund adaptation measures -Small group "Adaptation Planning Exercise" instructions

The target audiences of the training is drinking water, wastewater and stormwater utility staff involved with sustainability, planning, lead operations and/or long-term decision making. Other audience members will include local, state, or federal partners; water sector associations; and technical service providers.

Classroom