Water Utilities Don't See Climate Change As Priority

Facing short-term challenges including an infrastructure crisis and revenue pressures, water utilities are not prioritizing climate change as a major concern.

When executives at U.S. water utilities were asked about the biggest anxiety for their industry, “only about 10 percent said that climate change, which could further reduce water supplies in already water-stressed regions, was a significant sustainability issue,” Greentech Media reported, citing a new analysis by the consultancy Black & Veatch.

Water utilities may not be doing enough planning for climate change. “More than 60 percent of respondents identified water supply and water scarcity as the most significant climate issue for water utilities. Only one-quarter of water utility strategic plans factor in both climate change and the need for resilient infrastructure,” according to a statement from Black & Veatch.

Many utilities do not consider climate change in their risk assessments, according to Greentech Media:

About half of the surveyed water utilities said they had assessed the vulnerability of most of their assets, but only 15 percent included climate change factors in that analysis. For most utilities, addressing climate change means investing in water conservation and energy management and assessing protection for vulnerable facilities.

Ralph Eberts, managing director for integrated solutions at Black & Veatch, commented in the report: “There are still a number of agencies that have not assessed the vulnerability and resilience of all key assets, which represents a major blind spot related to risk.”

The water industry is aware of the challenges climate change brings, but that does not mean utilities haves the resources to act. The report, which is available for free download here, explained the situation:

As organizations, water industry service providers know the looming operational and management challenges. Headlines focusing on drought, burst mains in winter and issues with waste management experienced by some utilities are hard to ignore. In fact, one could argue that the supply and sustainability challenges facing many utilities and communities are not caused by a lack of information, but by the lack of money to meet these challenges head-on.

In the Black & Veatch report, which polled 450 water industry personnel, the top concern was infrastructure.

“For the fourth straight year, aging infrastructure ranks as the top concern for report participants. Managing operational and capital costs in an era of strong fiscal pressures from weather-related challenges and a changing revenue model rounded out the top three issues,” the firm said.

http://www.wateronline.com/doc/water-utilities-don-t-see-climate-change-as-priority-0001