American Water preparing for the next 100-year event
July 22, 2013 | By
Barbara Vergetis Lundin
During a significant weather event, a water utility's level of preparedness can mean the difference between temporary inconveniences and serious health and environmental consequences. The scientific community widely believes that climate change impacts include rising sea levels that contribute to increased destruction during severe storms, as well as increased droughts that severely impact agriculture, businesses, fire protection and drinking water supplies. According to American Water, climate change is having a profound effect on how communities can reliably access clean water, causing poor water quality and scarcity and putting significant stress on the water infrastructure. In 2011 and 2012 alone, there were 25 climate-related extreme-weather events that each caused about $1 billion in damage to the economy. "Water and wastewater systems are built for resiliency and sustainability of operations during weather events or other circumstances that could potentially interrupt service, but the increasing frequency of significant events in recent years, caused by climate change, has created a renewed focus on business continuity planning and emergency response for water utilities," says Jeff Sterba, president and CEO of American Water. "When events that were historically considered to be '100-year' events happen more and more frequently, utilities must prepare for a new normal." In addition to climate change impacts, the critical state of the nation's water and wastewater infrastructure, as well as "man-made" factors such as urbanization and population growth, are further contributors to the challenges water utilities face in planning for sustainability of operations. American Water's approach to mitigating these circumstances includes risk assessment through engineering planning studies, and risk management through prudent investment into its systems, integrated water resource management, and the use of innovation technology. Four years ago, American Water committed to reducing its carbon footprint by 16 percent by 2017 and is on track to achieve this goal through innovation and reduced energy use. Sustainability and resiliency planning efforts enable the water industry to serve its customers better while helping to address climate change. For more: Sign up for our FREE newsletter for more news like this sent to your inbox! © 2013 FierceMarkets. All rights reserved. http://www.fierceenergy.com http://www.fierceenergy.com/story/american-water-preparing-next-100-year-event/2013-07-22 |