Water/Wastewater Utilities and Extreme Climate and Weather EventsIn July the Water Environment Research Foundation released a new report on the effects of and responses to extreme weather events at water and wastewater utilities. This report describes community responses, lessons learned, and future planning needs for six communities that experienced one or more extreme events where water services were disrupted. Experiences include disruptions to a community’s drinking water supply, wastewater conveyance and treatment, and stormwater management.

Collaborators on the report included the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Water Research Foundation, and other organizations with input from the Water Environment Federation. The report discusses how utility managers and other local water resource managers make decisions, and what data they use to inform those decisions. It also covers the institutional dynamics that helped or hindered response efforts, and how utilities and their communities plan to prepare for future extreme events. In addition to the full report, the six case studies are also available in fact sheet format. Read more here.