ISWS - Useful Water Links

As part of a study on potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources, the EPA compiled and analyzed data from the FracFocus Chemical Disclosure Registry 1.0, a public website managed by the Ground Water Protection Council (GWPC) and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC).  The peer-reviewed analysis uses over two years of data - find out more here.

Water and energy are critical resources that are reciprocally linked; this interdependence is often described as the water-energy nexus. Meeting energy-sector water needs, which are often large, depends upon the local availability of water for fuel production, hydropower generation, and thermoelectric power plant cooling. The U.S. energy sector’s use of water is significant in terms of water withdrawals and water consumption. In 2005, thermoelectric cooling represented 41% of water withdrawn nationally, and 6% of water consumed nationally. The majority of the anticipated increase in water consumption by 2030 is attributed to domestic biofuel and oil and gas production. Policy makers at the federal, state, and local levels are faced with deciding whether to respond to the growing water needs of the energy sector, and if so, which policy levers to use (e.g., tax incentives, loan guarantees, permits, regulations, planning, or education). Many U.S. energy sector water decisions are made by private entities, and state entities have the majority of the authority over water use and allocation policies and decisions.

Conventional hydropower accounts for approximately 8% of total U.S. net electricity generation, and more than 80% of U.S. electricity is generated at thermoelectric facilities that depend on cooling water. Water availability issues, such as regional drought, low flow, or intense competition for water can curtail hydroelectric and thermoelectric generation. An assessment of the drought vulnerability of electricity in the western United States found broad resiliency, while also identifying the Pacific Northwest and the Texas grid at higher risk. Future withdrawals associated with electric generation may grow slightly, remain steady, or decline depending on a number of factors. These include reduced generation from facilities using once-through cooling because of compliance with proposed federal cooling water intake regulations or shifts in how electricity is generated (e.g., less from coal and more from wind and natural gas).

Energy choices represent complex tradeoffs; water use and wastewater byproducts are two of many factors to consider when making energy choices. For many policymakers, concerns other than water.—low-cost reliable energy, energy independence and security, climate change mitigation, public health, and job creation.—are more significant drivers of their positions on energy policies.

GAO was asked to examine the vulnerability of the nation’s energy infrastructure to climate change impacts. This report examines: (1) what is known about potential impacts of climate change on U.S. energy infrastructure; (2) measures that can reduce climate-related risks and adapt energy infrastructure to climate change; and (3) the role of the federal government in adapting energy infrastructure and adaptation steps selected federal entities have taken. GAO reviewed climate change assessments; analyzed relevant studies and agency documents; and interviewed federal agency officials and industry stakeholders, including energy companies at four sites that have implemented adaptive measures.

Tackling change:  Future-proofing water, agriculture, and food security in an era of climate uncertainty

This document from the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) discusses adapting water and food management to climate change.

Abrupt Impacts of Climate Change:  Anticipating Surprises 

This report by the National Research Council is an updated look at the issue of abrupt climate change and its potential impacts.  The report also summarizes the state of our knowledge about potential abrupt changes and abrupt climate impacts and calls for action to develop an abrupt change early warning system to help anticipate future abrupt changes and reduce their impacts.

National Stormwater Calculator

Feb. 2014 - EPA’s National Stormwater Calculator (SWC) is a desktop application that estimates the annual amount of rainwater and frequency of runoff from a specific site anywhere in the United States (including Puerto Rico). Estimates are based on local soil conditions, land cover, and historic rainfall records.

Despite Climate Campaigners Efforts, Germany's New Coal Boom Reaches Record Level

Jan. 2014 - This article from The Global Warming Policy Foundation and Dr. Benny Peiser discusses the use of coal in Germany and some other parts of Europe.

Standards of Performance for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from New Stationary Sources 

Jan. 2014 - Presented in the January 8, 2014 Federal Register, the proposed rule that was signed in September 2013,  Standards of Performance for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from New Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units, can be found here.

NOAA Global Analysis - Annual 2013

Dec. 2013 - This report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows the year 2013 has tied with 2003 as the fourth warmest year globally since records began in 1880.  The report includes global and U.S. data and covers the state of the climate, temperature, precipitation and more.

Ecohydrologic Impacts of Climate and Land Use Changes on Watershed Systems:  A Multi-Scale Assessment for Policy 

Sept. 2013 - This dissertation by Paul A. Ekness at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst completes a continental and regional scale assessment using statistical and simulation modeling to investigate ecohydrologic impacts within watershed systems.

Carbon Footprint of Supply Chains:  A Scoping Study

June 2013 - This document from the Transportation Research Board defines a standardized, conceptual approach to assessing global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the transportation component of supply chains, critiques current methods and data used to quantify greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and outlines a work plan to develop a decision tool to help estimate the carbon footprint of the transportation component of supply chains.

Historically, federal conservation programs have focused on solving environmental and natural resource problems on individual farms. While improvements have been made in water quality and wildlife habitat at the farm scale, landscape-scale environmental benefits in streams, lakes, and bays, for example, are less commonly documented. Excess nutrients (nitrogen, N, and phosphorus, P) con­tinue to impair thousands of waterways, and eutrophica­tion leads to hypoxia (low oxygen levels that harm aquatic life) or dead zones in water bodies around the country. This report focuses on the Mississippi River Basin.

Maintaining flows and quality of water resources is critical to support ecosystem

services and consumptive needs. Understanding impacts of changes in climate and land use on ecohydrologic processes in a watershed is vital to sustaining water resources for multiple uses. This study completes a continental and regional scale assessment using statistical and simulation modeling to investigate ecohydrologic impacts within

watershed systems.

Watersheds across the continental United States have diverse hydrogeomorphic

characters, mean temperatures, soil moistures, precipitation and evaporation patterns that influence runoff processes. Changes in climate affect runoff by impacting available soil moisture, evaporation, precipitation and vegetative patterns.

Continental scale runoff is affected by soil moisture and vegetative cover. Cover

crops, low tillage farm practices and natural vegetation contribute to less runoff.

Developing policies that encourage protection of soil structure could minimize runoff and aid in maintaining sustainable water resources. Best Management Practices and Low impact development at the national level with continued stormwater legislation directed towards sustainable land use policy will improve water quantity and quality.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released their "Global Analysis - Annual 2013," showing the year 2013 has tied with 2003 as the fourth warmest year globally since records began in 1880.  The report includes global and U.S. data and covers the state of the climate, temperature, precipitation and more.  To read the report, click here.

Decision support systems (DSS) tools in the water management sector are usually developed upon hydrologic simulation models, to which they provide at least an interface for facilitated use beyond the restricted group of model developers. They quite often provide also routines for decision analysis and decision making  (e.g., optimization methods). In some cases they also include functionalities targeting the management of participatory processes  (e.g., elicitation of stakeholders’ preferences, group decision making, and conflict resolution).

The EU funded SPLASH project (Coordinating European Water Research for Poverty Reduction, http://www.splash-era.net/) has thus included in its activities the writing of this report on Using modern decision support systems for evidence based policy making in IWRM developing countries with a general objective to harness the potential of modern decision support systems for policy making in the field of integrated water resources management in developing countries.

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) convened a workshop entitled “Water Management Technology Best Management Practices and Innovations Workshop for the Process Industries,” held May 13-14, 2009 at EPA Headquarters in Washington, DC. The report of the workshop, along with earlier ASME work, is available here.

The AWRA has posted on its web site an article on Water Resources Sustainability. The article covers definitions of water resources sustainability, a comparison between the rate of water use and the rate at which water can be replenished, and a systems analysis approach which discusses how water sustainability is affected by long duration, the use rate, moderate solutions to problems, and the flexibility of solutions.

The International Water Association has made available power point slides on the impact of biofuel development on water resources. Click on the link above to view the slides.

The meaning of the standard fecal coliform test used to monitor water quality has been called into question by a new study that identified sources of Escherichia coli bacteria that might not indicate an environmental hazard.