Menu Expand
Climate Change and Water

Climate Change and Water

Joel Smith | Carol Howe | Jim Henderson | Casey Brown | M. Neil Ward | Charles B. Bott | Denny S. Parker | Chittaranjan Ray | Christopher P. Higgins | Jonathan Sharp | Clemens von Sonntag | Urs von Gunten

(2009)

Additional Information

Book Details

Abstract

Understand the effects of climate change on urban water and wastewater utilities with this collection of international scientific papers. Case studies and practical planning, mitigating and adapting information provided on greenhouse gases, energy use, and water supply and quality issues.   
This title is co-published with the American Water Works Association.

Table of Contents

Section Title Page Action Price
Title page i
Copyright page ii
Contents v
Introduction Sec2:1
ADDRESS ING CLIMATE CHANGE AND UNCERTAINTY Sec2:1
Understanding the Impact 3
INTRODUCTION 3
Understanding the Problem 3
Measuring the Impact—Climate and Water Footprints Sec2:4
1: No Doubt About Climate Change and Its Implications for Water Suppliers Sec1:5
IPCC REPORT REMOVES DOUBTS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE Sec1:6
CONSEQUENCES FOR WATER RESOURCES Sec1:6
BOTTOM LINE IMPLICATIONS FOR WATER SUPPLIERS: ADAPTATION Sec1:7
Portfolio Approach to Planning Encouraged Sec1:8
TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE IMPLICATIONS: MITIGATION Sec1:9
Balancing Fiscal and Environmental Responsibility Sec1:9
Demand Management Plays Numerous Roles Sec1:10
IPCC REPORT ALSO AFFIRMS HOPE Sec1:10
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sec1:11
REFERENCES Sec1:11
2: How Should Water Utilities Prepare for Climate Change? Sec1:13
INTRODUCTION Sec1:13
POTENTIAL CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS ON WATER SYSTEMS Sec1:13
Water Supply Availability Impacts Sec1:13
Flood Control/Storage Impacts Sec1:14
Operational Reliability Impacts Sec1:14
Water Quality Impacts Sec1:14
VULNERABILITY ANALYSES Sec1:15
Water Supply Reliability Sec1:15
Flood Control Sec1:16
PREPARING FOR CLIMATE CHANGE Sec1:17
CONCLUSION Sec1:18
3: Mountain Water and Climate Change 21
MOUNTAINS: WATER TOWERS OF THE WORLD 21
General 21
Case Study: Rhine River Basin 24
CLIMATE CHANGE AND MOUNTAIN HYDROLOGY 26
General 26
Detailed Case Study: Rhine River Basin 28
MAJOR MOUNTAIN RANGES OF THE WORLD 30
Rocky Mountains 30
Andes 31
European Alps 32
African Mountain Ranges 33
Taurus–Elburs–Zagros 34
Hindu–Kush–Himalayas (HKH) 35
CONCLUSIONS 37
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 38
REFERENCES 38
4: Prevailing Water Demand Forecasting Practices and Implications for Evaluating the Effects of Climate Change 41
INTRODUCTION 41
The Water Demand Function and Climate Change 41
SUMMARY OF INDUSTRY PRACTICES AND CONSTRAINTS 42
POWER OF DEMAND SIMULATION METHODS 43
CONCLUSIONS 45
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 45
5: Impacts of Climate Change and Variability on Source Water Quality of Lake Cachuma, California 47
INTRODUCTION 47
Lake Water Quality 47
Lake Hydroclimate 47
California Region Climate Change Models 48
Indicators of Climate Variability 48
Lake Water Quality Model 49
Climate Change Projections 50
Projected Climate Change Impacts on Water Quality 51
SHORT-TERM IMPACTS OF CLIMATE VARIABILITY ON LAKE WATER 51
ASSESSMENT TOOLS 52
CONCLUSIONS 53
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 53
REFERENCES 54
6: The Climate Footprint and the Practical Application at Water Companies in the Netherlands 55
INTRODUCTION 55
CLIMATE FOOTPRINT METHODOLOGY 55
ORGANISATIONAL SCOPE 56
OPERATIONAL SCOPE 58
CONVERTING DATA TO CO⊂2 EQUIVALENTS 58
WATERBEDRIJF GRONINGEN: OPPORTUNITIES FOR EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS 58
OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THE COMPANY’S PROCESSES 60
OPPORTUNITIES OUTSIDE THE COMPANY’S PROCESSES 60
BRABANT WATER: CLIMATE NEUTRAL IN 2013? 60
Current Climate Footprint 61
Project Objective 61
Planned Approach 62
Immediate (Technical) Actions 62
Involving the Employees 62
WATERNET: THE CLIMATE FOOTPRINT OF THE TOTAL WATER CYCLE 63
The Climate Footprint of the Municipal Water Chain 64
The Climate Footprint Over Time 64
Results in 2007 66
The Climate Footprint of the Total Water Cycle 67
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 68
Conclusions 68
Recommendations 68
How to Use the Climate Footprint? 69
Risk management 69
Efficiency improvements 69
Benchmarking 69
Becoming climate neutral 69
How to Organize the Internal Process Within the Company? 69
How to Organize the Relations with the External World? 70
Government regulations 71
Reputation 71
Business opportunities 71
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 72
REFERENCES 72
7: Climate Footprint and Mitigation Measures in the Dutch Water Sector 73
INTRODUCTION 73
CLIMATE FOOTPRINT 74
ENERGY CONSUMPTION 74
DIRECT EMISSIONS 75
INDIRECT EMISSIONS 77
OVERALL 77
MITIGATION MEASURES 77
Energy Efficiency Measures 77
Mitigation Measures in the Water Cycle 78
Tuning of Sewerage and Treatment 78
Conservation of (Warm) Water at Households 78
Reuse of Warmth Content 78
Modern Sanitation 79
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 79
REFERENCES 80
8: The Water Footprint of Bio-Energy 81
INTRODUCTION 81
BIO-ENERGY 82
WATER FOOTPRINT 82
CROP COVERAGE 83
METHOD 84
Calculation of the Water Footprint of Crops 84
Calculation of the WF of Heat and Electricity from Biomass 85
Calculation of the Wf of First-Generation Biofuels 85
Calculation of the WF of Next-Generation Biofuels 87
THE WATER FOOTPRINT OF BIO-ELECTRICITY AND BIOFUELS 88
Crop Production, Crop Water Requirements, and Irrigation Requirements 88
The WF of Biomass 88
The WF of Heat and Electricity from Biomass 88
The WF of First-Generation Biofuels 88
Biofuel Energy Production per Crop Unit 88
The WF of Bio-ethanol 90
The WF of Biodiesel 90
The WF of Next-Generation Biofuels 91
DISCUSSION 92
CONCLUSIONS 93
REFERENCES 94
Mitigation 97
INTRODUCTION 97
9: The Water–Energy–Climate Nexus—Systems Thinking and Virtuous Circles 99
INTRODUCTION 99
THE CURRENT SITUATION 100
Centralised Large-Scale Water Supply Systems 100
Distributed Small-Scale Systems 101
The Costs of New Infrastructure 102
Greenhouse Gas Emissions 102
A WAY FORWARD? 103
Integrated Resource Planning 104
The Role of End Use and Water Efficiency 106
The Virtuous Circle 107
REFERENCES 108
10: Energy Use in Urban Water 111
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 111
DETAILS AND CONTEXT FOR INDIVIDUAL CITIES 112
INTERCITY COMPARISON 115
FUTURE WATER UTILITY ENERGY USE 116
ENERGY USE FOR RESIDENTIAL HOT WATER 116
INDUSTRY IMPLICATIONS AND ACTIONS 117
BROADER CONSIDERATIONS FOR WATER AND ENERGY POLICY 119
REFERENCES 120
11: WATERGY: Energy and Water Efficiency in Municipal Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment 123
INTRODUCTION 123
TECHNICAL AND MANAGERIAL APPROACHES TO WATERGY 126
Generating Political Will 128
Technical Management and Analysis 128
Implementing Efficiency Measures 130
Pumping Systems 130
Automated Controls 131
Metering and Monitoring 132
Pump system 133
Electrical systems 133
Incorporating Energy Efficiency at the Design Stage of New Water Utilities and Wastewater Systems 133
Overall Approach 134
Installation of Energy Efficient Technology 134
Usage of Energy Saving Devices 134
System Flexibility 134
Energy Efficiency Design Considerations 135
RESULTS 135
12: Station Efficiency Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions 137
GLOBAL WARMING AND GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS 137
WHAT DOES EMISSIONS REDUCTION MEAN FOR THE WASTEWATER INDUSTRY? 138
SOURCES OF GHG EMISSIONS IN THE WASTEWATER INDUSTRY 138
WHY DO PUMPS LOSE EFFICIENCY? 140
EFFICIENCY AND GHG REDUCTION SOLUTIONS 141
Monitoring Technology 141
REFERENCES 143
13: Climate Change—Mitigation Policy Issues 145
INTRODUCTION 145
CONGRESSIONAL ACTIVITIES 145
Cap and Trade Legislation 145
Water Efficiency Legislation 147
ACTIVITIES BY FEDERAL AGENCIES 147
U.S. Climate Change Science Program 147
USEPA National Water Program Strategy: Response to Climate Change 148
Water-Related Energy Conservation and Production 149
Key Action 150
Water Conservation 150
14: Climate Change Mitigation Strategies in the Water Sector in Developing Countries 157
INTRODUCTION 157
CLEAN DEVELOPMENT MECHANISM PROJECT DEVELOPMENT 158
APPROVED METHODOLOGIES AND CASE STUDIES IN THE WATER SECTOR 159
AMS III.H—Methane Recovery in Wastewater Treatment 160
AMS III.H Case Study 1 160
Summary 161
AMS III.H Case Study 1 161
Summary 162
AMS III.F—Avoidance of Methane Emissions through Controlled Biological Treatment of Biomass 162
AMS III.F Case Study 163
Summary 164
AMS III.I—Avoidance of Methane Production in Wastewater Treatment through Replacement of Anaerobic Systems by Aerobic Systems 164
AMS III.I Case Study 164
Summary 165
ACM0014—Mitigation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions fromTreatment of Industrial Wastewater 165
ACM0014 Case Study 166
Summary 166
ACM0010—Consolidated Baseline Methodology for GHG Emission Reductions from Manure Management Systems 166
ACM0010 Case Study 167
Summary 167
CONCLUSIONS 168
Adaptation 169
INTRODUCTION 169
Planning for Climate Change 169
Case Studies and Practical Actions 169
15: Incorporating Climate Change in Water Planning 173
CLIMATE CHANGE RISK ASSESSMENT AND TOTAL WATER MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE WATER SUPPLIES 174
Climate Change Risk Assessment 174
Threshold Risk Assessment Approach 174
Scenario Risk Assessment Approach 176
Advantages of a Dual Analytical Framework 177
Total Water Management 177
Plan Elements of TWM 178
CASE STUDY: INTEGRATING CLIMATE CHANGE IN WATER MANAGEMENT PLANNING 179
The Lower Colorado River Authority—San Antonio Water System Water Project 179
ACKNOWLEDGMENT 181
REFERENCES 182
GLOSSARY 182
16: Climate Change and Water Utilities 183
INTRODUCTION 183
Climate Change Increases Water Stress 183
MANAGING WATER STRESS ON SUPPLY SIDE AND DEMAND SIDE 183
Managing Water-Related Stress: A Case of Supply and Demand Management 183
Water Supply Management 184
Ethiopia: Construction of Dams 184
Umgeni Water Supply—A “Total Approach” 185
Perth, Australia: Desalination 185
United States of America: Rethinking Big Dam Policies Because of Climate Change 186
Critical Words on Desalination 186
Water Demand Management 187
Metro Manilla, Philippines—Allocation Managing Demand Using Climate Forecasts 188
Ceará, Brazil—Allocation Water Through Demand Management 188
Sydney, Australia—Portfolio of Water Demand Management Options Implemented 188
Water and Adaptation: A Global Overview 188
Africa 189
Asia 189
Australia and New Zealand 189
Europe 190
Latin America 190
North America 190
Polar Regions 190
Small Islands 190
CONCLUSIONS 190
Portfolio Approach 190
REFERENCES 191
17: Half Full or Half Empty? Either Way It’s Time to Plan 193
WESTERN UNITED STATES FACES DROUGHT CONCERNS 193
STRATEGIES VITAL TO LONG-TERM WATER SUPPLY 194
UTILITIES PLAN FOR THE FUTURE 196
SNWA 196
Zone 7 Water Agency 197
COLLABORATION AND COMMITMENT ARE KEY 197
REFERENCES 197
18: Climate Change Is Real: How Can Utilities Cope With Potential Risks? 199
FUTURE CHANGES 199
HOW WILL US CLIMATE CHANGE? 201
EFFECTS ON WATER RESOURCES 202
HOW CAN UTILITIES ADAPT? 202
No Regrets 203
Low Regrets 203
19: Planning Strategy in a Changing Climate 205
INTRODUCTION 205
IMPACTS OF GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE WATER AND WASTEWATER INDUSTRY 205
PLANNING FOR A CHANGING CLIMATE Sec1:206
Adaptation Sec1:206
Sea Level Rise Sec1:207
Changes in Precipitation Patterns Sec1:207
Mitigation Sec1:207
CASE STUDY: SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION 30-YEAR SEWER SYSTEM MASTER PLAN Sec1:209
CONCLUSION Sec1:213
RESOURCES FOR WATER AND WASTEWATER INDUSTRY Sec1:213
REFERENCES Sec1:214
20: Climate Change: Charting a Water Coursein an Uncertain Future 215
THINK GLOBALLY ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE 215
ACT LOCALLY TO UNDERSTAND CLIMATE CHANGE 217
DETERMINE THE VULNERABILITIES OF A WATER UTILITY TO CLIMATE CHANGE 217
Water Supply 218
Flood Management 218
Water Demands 218
Sea-Level Rise 219
Power Generation 219
Water Quality 220
Integrating Climate Change into Long-Range Planning 220
Water Supply Planning 220
Strategic Planning and Budgeting 221
MITIGATING THE CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS OF A WATER UTILITY 221
Creating an Inventory of Utility-Produced GHGs 222
Mitigation Opportunities for Utilities 223
EBMUD’S GREENHOUE GAS MITIGATION EFFORTS 224
GHG Inventory 224
Energy Reduction Projects 224
Energy Generation Projects 224
Reductions in Use of Fossil Fuels 225
CONCLUSION 225
REFERENCES 225
21: Implementation of Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies for Drinking Water Production in the Netherlands 227
INTRODUCTION 227
WATER STRESS FOR DRINKING WATER PRODUCTION 227
POTENTIAL FOR ADAPTIVE STRATEGIES 230
Alternative Sources Concept 231
Multiple Sources Concept 232
Flexible Sources Concept 234
POTENTIAL FOR MITIGATION MEASURES 234
Climate Footprint 234
Mitigation Measures 236
Energy-Efficient Technology for Drinking Water Production 236
Optimised Distribution of Drinking Water 237
Methane recovery 237
New water cycle concepts and household measures 237
DISCUSSION AND SYNTHESIS 238
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 239
REFERENCES 239
22: Meeting the Challenges of Climate Change: Singapore 241
INTRODUCTION 241
INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT 242
Water for All: Conserve, Value, Enjoy 242
Water for All 242
Local catchments 243
Imported water 244
NEWater 244
Desalination 244
Meeting long-term water demand and climate change impacts 244
Conserve, Value, Enjoy 245
Unaccounted-for Water 245
Pricing 245
Mandatory and Voluntary Measures 246
Active Beautiful Clean Waters 246
LEVERAGING INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGIES 246
FLOODING AND SEA-LEVEL RISE 247
SINGAPORE’S NATIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE STRATEGY 248
CONCLUSION 248
REFERENCES 249
23: Climate Change and Adaptation in Southern California 251
BACKGROUND 251
IMPACTS 252
Water Quantity 252
Precipitation Frequency 252
Precipitation Intensity 253
Power, Flow, Temperature 253
Rain Versus Snow 253
Sea-Level Rise 254
Water Quality 255
Contaminant Concentration 255
Chemistry 255
Sediment Transport 256
Habitat Destruction 257
Consequences to Water System 257
Water Demand 257
Infrastructure 258
UTILITY ENGAGEMENT 258
Mitigating GHG Contribution 258
Adaptation 259
Monitoring Regulations 260
REFERENCES 261
24: Melbourne Water Climate Change Study 263
INTRODUCTION 263
CLIMATE CHANGE PROJECTIONS FOR THE MELBOURNE AREA 264
Increased Temperature 264
Reduced Rainfall 265
AREAS OF POTENTIAL RISK 265
POTENTIAL ADAPTATION STRATEGIES 266
Water Supplies 266
Sewerage System 267
Drainage and Waterways 268
Planning 268
CASE STUDIES 268
Case Study 1—Water Supplies 268
Case Study 2—Sewer Overflows 269
Case Study 3—Flooding 271
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE 2005 STUDY 273
THREE YEARS LATER—THE SITUATION BY END 2008 274
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 276
REFERENCES 276
25: Climate Change Impacts on Urban Drainage Systems in Scandinavia 277
STATUS ON ACTIONS IN DENMARK, SWEDEN, AND NORWAY 277
Predicted Climate Changes in Denmark 277
Status on National Guidelines and Recommendations for Urban Drainage and Sewer Systems 277
Predicted Climate Changes in Sweden 278
Status on National Guidelines and Recommendations for Urban Drainage and Sewer Systems 278
Predicted Climate Changes in Norway 278
Status on National Guidelines and Recommendations for Urban Drainage and Sewer Systems 279
IMPACTS ON THE PRECIPITATION DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE 280
Transformation of the Rainfall from the Climate Model 280
CLIMATE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES 281
Problem Identification 281
Timely Management of Climate Changes 281
CASE STUDIES ON ADAPTATION OF URBAN SEWER SYSTEMS TO CLIMATE CHANGES 282
Helsingborg: Lussebäcken Catchment 282
Kalmar: Lindsdal Catchment 283
Odense, Denmark—Urban Flooding 284
Modeling Approach 284
Project Results 284
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 285
REFERENCES 286
Index 289