AMWA Calls For Water Adaptation Program in Climate Bill

Urges Senators to Add "Blue Bank" to Adaptation Section

 

Washington, D.C. – The Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) today called on Senate leaders to add a “Blue Bank for Water System Mitigation and Adaptation” to comprehensive climate change legislation introduced by Senators John Kerry and Joe Lieberman.

 

“Any proposal to combat climate change is incomplete without programs to help water and wastewater utilities adapt to growing water quality and quantity threats,” said Diane VanDe Hei, AMWA’s Executive Director. “While the ‘American Power Act’ creates a Natural Resources Climate Change Adaptation Panel to help plants and animals adjust to the changing climate, it does not require the creation of a program to assist local water systems in adapting their operations and infrastructure to these challenges.”

 

A study completed last year by AMWA and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) estimated that the climate adaptation costs faced by water and wastewater systems in the U.S. could approach $1 trillion through 2050.

 

“Global climate change is expected to lead to a host of challenges for American water systems, ranging from severe drought and melting snowpack that stresses water supplies to increased heavy precipitation events and rising sea levels that threaten water quality,” said VanDe Hei. “We cannot wait for the tap to run dry before addressing these problems.”

 

Last year, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid introduced legislation (S. 1712) that would create a “Blue Bank for Water System Mitigation and Adaptation.” The program would offer local water and wastewater utilities matching grants to fund climate adaptation efforts and studies. Rep. Lois Capps introduced similar legislation in the House (H.R. 2969). Section 6011 of the Kerry-Lieberman bill only says the EPA Administrator “may” establish water system mitigation and adaptation partnerships, but the scope of the program is undefined.

 

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The Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies is an organization of the largest
publicly owned drinking water suppliers in the United States.

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