Case Studies | U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit

Communities, businesses, and individuals are taking action to document their vulnerabilities and build resilience to climate-related impacts. Click dots on the map to preview case studies, or browse stories below the map. Use the drop-down menus above to find stories of interest. To expand your results, click the Clear Filters link.

Photo of pararescueman Staff Sgt. Lopaka Mounts receiving a hug from a resident after Hurricane Ike, Sept. 13, 2008.

A Climate for Resilience

The City of Houston faces an array of climate vulnerabilities: flooding, drought, tropical cyclones, and extreme heat can all affect the city's population and industries. Government and non-profit agencies in the region combined their resources in a pilot project to plan for climate resilience.

Low water at Lake Mead exposes a wide "bathtub ring" that marks the lake's former level.

A New Generation of Water Planners Confronts Change Along the Colorado River

Reduced flows and increased demand for Colorado River water represent a real and present danger in the West. To address the threat, water managers and modelers initiated a study to understand the system, consider options, and take action.

Dam and spillway on the St. Francis River

Addressing Short- and Long-Term Risks to Water Supply

In 2012, water managers in Fredericktown, Missouri, saw their city's main source of water dwindle. They used the EPA’s Creating Resilient Water Utilities program to consider options and develop plans to protect their water source.

Addressing Water Supply Risks from Flooding and Drought

Water managers in Keene, New Hampshire, assessed the vulnerability of their water assets to enhance their resilience to the impacts of a changing climate.

An Integrated Plan for Water and Long-Term Ecological Resilience

Recognizing their vulnerability to drought and climate change, federal, state, tribal, and local partners in Washington’s Yakima River Basin developed a comprehensive plan to meet their diverse needs for water into the future.

Standing man looking at a stand of trees in a forest

And the Trees Will Last Forever

In northern Wisconsin, tribal foresters from the Menominee Nation are working to speed regeneration of forest areas that have been treated for invasive diseases. Their efforts are also creating forests that are better adapted to future conditions.

Landscape photo of an aqueduct canal near Salinas, Puerto Rico

Aquifer Storage and Recovery: A Strategy for Long-Term Water Security in Puerto Rico

A unique, relatively low-cost project can serve as a model for long-term water security strategies across the Caribbean.

Assessing a Tropical Estuary's Climate Change Risks

Puerto Rico's San Juan Bay Estuary faces multiple threats, including heavy use by urban populations and impacts of climate change. A workbook from the EPA's Climate Ready Estuaries program helped them catalog, prioritize, and address their climate risks.

Assessing the Timing and Extent of Coastal Change in Western Alaska

An interactive map based on four decades of satellite images helps residents, resource managers, and stewards of the land anticipate and plan for coastal change.

View of Loveland Ski Area from above the Eisenhower Tunnel in Colorado.

Balancing Variable Water Supply With Increasing Demand in a Changing Climate

Anticipating increasing demand as well as changes in the timing and amount of future water supply, state agencies and researchers are gathering information to help decision makers plan for Colorado's water future.

Battling Blazes Across Borders

Wildfire is a naturally occurring phenomenon that doesn’t recognize political boundaries. When large fires rage in parts of North America, the countries of Canada, the United States, and Mexico strive to work together to share firefighting resources.

Corn plants growing up through soybean stubble

Better Soil, Better Climate

The soil health management system an Ohio farmer practices increases crop productivity, reduces costs for fertilizer and pesticides, and sequesters carbon in the soil. Both locally and globally, he encourages other farmers to adopt his methods.

Boosting Ecosystem Resilience in the Southwest's Sky Islands

Conservation organizations teamed up to document the climate vulnerability of mountain springs that support unique ecosystems. Now, the Alliance they formed facilitates restoration work to enhance habitats and improve resiliency.

Skyline of Las Cruces, NM and the Organ Mountains

Catalyzing Investment and Building Capacity in Las Cruces

Planning with extreme weather thresholds catalyzes a $400,000 green infrastructure investment in a historically underserved neighborhood in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

A helicopter drops water on the Waldo Canyon fire in June, 2012

Charting Colorado’s Vulnerability to Climate Change

Responding to growing awareness of climate change impacts, the State of Colorado commissioned two of its universities to complete an initial study of the state's vulnerabilities.

Climate Data Inform Recovery Plan for Endangered Butterfly

After a butterfly species disappeared from a location where it had been found for many years, conservation professionals accessed climate projections to identify potential habitat for its recovery.

Viewing data in the control room of Tampa Bay Water.

Climate Outlooks Help Water Supply Planning

When water utility personnel recognized their groundwater withdrawals were damaging ecosystems in the Tampa Bay area, they found new ways to reduce their dependence on it.

Climate Outlooks Increase Farmer's Odds for Success

From weeks-long dry spells to extreme precipitation events, farmers face significant challenges in bringing crops to market. Here’s how one grower uses seasonal climate forecasts to increase his chances for success.

Tropical vegetation along white sand beach

Collaborating for Success: Sustaining Water Supply on a Pacific Island

As El Niño can bring severe drying conditions to the islands of American Samoa, groups collaborated to ensure that decision makers have access to the local climate and water data they need to recognize—and prepare for—the threat of drought.

Skyline of highrise buildings and shipping cranes with mountains in the background

Creating a Model Climate Resilient City

The City of Long Beach, California, sees signs of climate change on land and in the ocean. After compiling the City's official climate assessment report, local stakeholders also produced a more accessible and user-friendly summary version and shared it broadly to stimulate informed discussion and decision making across the city.

Crop Insurance Smooths Income Fluctuations for Ranchers and Forage Farmers

Raising livestock on grasses or hay depends on receiving the right amount of rain at the right time of year. When a growing season is dry, crop insurance can make the difference between ranchers’ financial success and failure.

muddy lake bottom with stream running through it

Drought in the ACF River Basin

Explore the historical context of drought in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) Basin, a primer on how water resources are managed there, and a look ahead to the future.

Drought Resiliency Planning Prepares Stakeholders for New Conditions

A national project inspired stakeholders in a rural area to document changing conditions and make a plan for drought. The effort left the area better prepared to address future changes.

A water reservoir that is mostly dry due to drought.

Drought Response and Recovery Project for Water Utilities in Castine, Maine

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s storymap contains case studies and videos that describe the experiences of small and medium-sized drinking water utilities that successfully responded to drought. Explore the story of Castine, Maine.

Drought Response and Recovery Project for Water Utilities in Clinton, OK

Drought Response and Recovery Project for Water Utilities in Hays and Russell, KS

Drought Response and Recovery Project for Water Utilities in Hogansville, GA

Drought Response and Recovery Project for Water Utilities in Las Vegas, NM

Drought Response and Recovery Project for Water Utilities in North Marin Water District, CA

Drought Response and Recovery Project for Water Utilities in Spicewood Beach, TX

Drought Response and Recovery Project for Water Utilities in Tuolumne Utilities District, CA

Early Warning Information Increases Options for Drought Mitigation

In the growing season, farmers and ranchers keep a watchful eye for any sign of drought. Early warning information can increase their range of options for dealing with the lack of water.

Residential trees and one of Chicago's elevated commuter trains

Fortifying Chicago's Urban Forest

Trees within a city can help reduce urban heat, control stormwater, and provide habitat to local wildlife. As climate conditions change, a Chicago group is working to enhance its urban forest so that the city can continue to receive these benefits.

Photo of plume of smoke is seen rising from the North Fork fire in Jefferson County, Colorado

Health Care Facilities Maintain Indoor Air Quality Through Smoke and Wildfires

When smoke from wildfires swirls around health care facilities, prepared hospitals in California and Colorado use air quality tools to keep the indoor environment safe for patients and staff.

How Vulnerable Are Salmon to a Changing Climate?

Researchers in Washington's South Fork Nooksack River are seeking to better understand the potential impacts of climate change on water quality and salmon recovery—a process they hope can be replicated and scaled in other watersheds across the country.

Colorado National Guardsmen respond to floods in Boulder County, Colorado, on September 12, 2013

It Was a Dark and Stormy Night: Extreme Weather Leads to Collaboration in Boulder

The city charts its path to resilience by focusing on extreme weather and interdepartmental collaboration.

Pages