CRWU offers seven primary tools for water utility owners and operators, including the Climate Resilience Evaluation and Assessment Tool, Resilient Strategies Guide for Water Utilities, Workshop Planner for Water Utilities Adapting to Extreme Weather Events, the Case Study and Information Exchange, a series of videos sharing resilience efforts by local water utilities, and maps of storm surge and streamflow projections.
Climate Resilience Evaluation and Assessment Tool
The U.S. EPA developed the Climate Resilience Evaluation and Assessment Tool (CREAT) to assist utilities in understanding and assessing risks from climate change and extreme weather impacts. Users are guided through an assessment of regional climate change threats and associated impacts on critical assets and the development of associated adaptation strategies. CREAT provides risk reduction benefits and costs reports to support the evaluation of strategies and integrates with the Resilient Strategies Guide and the Vulnerability Self-Assessment Tool (VSAT).
Resilient Strategies Guide for Water Utilities
CRWU created the Resilient Strategies Guide for Water Utilities—formerly known as the CRWU Toolbox (taken offline in September 2015) - which provides resources ranging from climate science to mitigation and adaptation strategies. Users are led through a series of prompts to filter potential options and generate a report of priority strategies; the effectiveness of these priorities can then be evaluated using CREAT. Users can filter strategy options by:
- Water Utility Type (e.g., drinking water, stormwater/wastewater, combined)
- State/Territory
- Water Utility Size (e.g., small [less than 10,000], medium [10,000–99,999], large [100,000 and above])
- Priorities (e.g., Flooding, wildfires, saltwater intrusion; flood protection, water conservation, green infrastructure)
- Assets (e.g., aquifers, buildings, wells)
- Mitigation and Adaptation Response Strategies and Costs (e.g. Build infrastructure for aquifer storage and recovery [$$$], Build capacity [$])
- Funding Sources and Project Type (e.g., foundation, a federal agency; capital projects, planning, operations)
Workshop Planner for Water Utilities Adapting to Extreme Weather Events
The Workshop Planner was designed to help utility staff and other stakeholders conduct adaptation workshops in response to climate change and extreme weather impacts. The materials can be used to create customized workshops around five scenarios: floods, droughts, wildfires, sea level rise, and reduced snowpack.
CRWU Case Study and Information Exchange
The Case Study and Information Exchange presents over 50 user-submitted stories of adaptation planning efforts to address drought, flood, ecosystem changes, water quality, and service reliability.
Videos of Utilities' Adaptation Planning
CRWU creates and shares water utilities’ resilience stories on YouTube. Featured stories include those focused on Camden, NJ; Faribault, MN; Fredericktown, MO; Harrisburg, PA; Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA; and Waynesboro, TN.
Mapping Tools
The Storm Surge Inundation Map allows users to explore the potential effects of flooding caused by hurricanes. Data used in the tool include the National Hurricane Center’s hurricane strike dataset, NOAA’s Sea, Lake, and Overland Surge from Hurricanes (SLOSH) model results, and FEMA’s 100- and 500-year flood zone maps. The Streamflow Projections Map allows users to explore low, average, and high streamflow projection rates.
