Climate Change Adaptation and the Australian Urban Water Industry

Growing evidence indicates that the water and wastewater sector will not only be affected by climate change, but that many of the impacts of climate change will be delivered through floods, droughts or severe storms. Water resources will change in both quantity and quality, potentially requiring investments in new source developments; whilst existing water, stormwater and wastewater facilities infrastructure will face a greater risk of damage. At a time when society’s capital and financial resources are already strained, and the community is already sensitive to the devastating impacts of recent natural disasters, continuing climate change presents a significant strategic challenge for our industry,

This emerging realisation is echoed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s report, Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to advance Climate Change Adaptation which states that "where extreme weather events become more intense and/or more frequent, the economic and social costs of those events will increase, and these increases will be substantial in the areas most directly affected. Climate change impacts spread from directly impacted areas and sectors to other areas and sectors through extensive and complex linkages."

While certain actions being taken by urban water utilities may help to reduce their exposure to climate change, there is an evident need to address climate vulnerability more systematically.

Some of the measures currently being implemented primarily address short-term concerns. For many utilities longer term actions may often appear to be unaffordable or unfeasible given perceived complexity, a lack of scientific information relevant to the urban environment, or a lack of coordination with other authorities related to issues such as resource protection and flooding.

Many WSAA members have been focusing on climate change adaptation over and above traditional water supply issues as they will need to adapt their infrastructure and operations to cope with the future impact of climate change.

These analyses have been developing around the key elements of the business model i.e. (strategic

and tactical) planning needs, design and installation, operations and maintenance, customer service, business continuity and so on. The focus has been on identifying what climate change might mean for these elements.

In response to these analyses, the water industry is developing an adaptation tool specifically for water utilities. “AdaptWater” will capture and quantify the complexity of modern utilities economic, social and environmental performance requirements and integrate the effects of evolving direct and indirect climate change hazards.

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Wastewater Water Quality