The National Water Program Strategy: Response to Climate Change was first published in 2008. OW created one of the first climate change strategies in the Agency, and is considered a model for other emerging efforts within the federal government. The 2008 Strategy describes the likely effects that climate change will have on water resources and implications for EPA's Office of Water (OW) and the National Water Program (NWP). In 2012, OW developed an updated strategy that describes NWP's long- term goals for sustainably managing water resources in light of climate change. It is intended as a roadmap to guide future program work and inform the Agency's annual planning process. In late 2012, OW's Immediate Office (IO), which is responsible for coordinating OW climate change work, requested support from EPA's Evaluation Support Division (ESD) to conduct a retrospective evaluation of lessons from the 2008 Strategy, and to develop a prospective measurement framework to track the progress on the 2012 Strategy. Industrial Economics, Incorporated (IEc) and its subcontractor Ross Strategic, henceforth referred to as the evaluation team, carried out the study. This report presents the results of these coordinated efforts.

Evaluation of the National Water Program Climate Change Adaptation Strategy Final Report

There remains significant uncertainty about the exact scope and timing of climate change-related impacts on water resources, but the National Water Program and its partners need to assess emerging climate change information, evaluate potential impacts of climate change on water programs, and identify needed responses. This report is an initial effort to evaluate how best to meet our clean water and safe drinking water goals in the context of a changing climate. The ideas and response actions outlined here are the product of a cooperative effort among the EPA water program managers in national and Regional offices. A wide range of stakeholders participated in initial ¿listening session¿ meetings. Illustrations.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is committed to identifying and responding to the challenges that a changing climate poses to human health and the environment. Scientific evidence demonstrates that the climate is changing at an increasingly rapid rate, outside the range to which society has adapted in the past. These changes can pose significant challenges to the EPA's ability to fulfill its mission. The EPA must adapt to climate change if it is to continue fulfilling its statutory, regulatory and programmatic requirements. The Agency is therefore anticipating and planning for future changes in climate to ensure it continues to fulfill its mission of protecting human health and the environment even as the climate changes. In February 2013, the EPA released its draft Climate Change Adaptation Plan to the public for review and comment. The plan relies on peer-reviewed scientific information and expert judgment to identify vulnerabilities to EPA's mission and goals from climate change. The plan also presents 10 priority actions that EPA will take to ensure that its programs, policies, rules, and operations will remain effective under future climatic conditions. The priority placed on mainstreaming climate adaptation within EPA complements efforts to encourage and mainstream adaptation planning across the entire federal government. This Implementation Plan provides an overview of the opportunities available to the Office of Water within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to respond to the challenges that a changing climate poses for the successful operation of national programs to protect the quality of the national water resources and drinking water. This Plan is organized using the framework adopted by the EPA for each of its major national offices and regional offices. Key elements of the Plan address: Vulnerability of water resources, including clean water and drinking water programs, to climate change; Priority actions for water program response to climate change; Office of Water contribution to meeting EPA strategic measures on climate change; Legal and enforcement issues; Training and outreach for climate change adaptation; Partnerships with Tribes; Populations and places vulnerable to a changing climate; and Program evaluation and cross-Agency pilot projects.

This publication sets out the challenge for freshwater in a changing climate and provides policy guidance on how to navigate this new "waterscape". It examines the range and complexity of possible changes in the water cycle and the challenges of making practical, on-site adaptation decisions for water. It offers policymakers a risk-based framework and guidance to "know", "cap" and "manage" water risks in order to provide flexibility and improve decisions despite the lack of reliable predictions. It draws insights from a stock take of current policy efforts to adapt water systems across all 34 member countries and the European Union, including water-related aspects of National Adaptation Plans and Strategies, specific policy measures, and financing programmes. Finally, the report examines the use of economic instruments to promote adaptation (e.g. insurance schemes, water markets and banks, water pricing), incentives for ‘green’ infrastructure and ecosystem-based approaches, and financing issues.

Climate change poses many challenges that affect society and the natural world. With these challenges, however, come opportunities to respond. By taking steps to adapt to and mitigate climate change, the risks to society and the impacts of continued climate change can be lessened. The National Climate Assessment, coordinated by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, is a mandated report intended to inform response decisions. Required to be developed every four years, these reports provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date evaluation of climate change impacts available for the United States, making them a unique and important climate change document. The draft Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4) report reviewed here addresses a wide range of topics of high importance to the United States and society more broadly, extending from human health and community well-being, to the built environment, to businesses and economies, to ecosystems and natural resources. This report evaluates the draft NCA4 to determine if it meets the requirements of the federal mandate, whether it provides accurate information grounded in the scientific literature, and whether it effectively communicates climate science, impacts, and responses for general audiences including the public, decision makers, and other stakeholders.