환경보호협회(EPA)가 최근 미국 20개 이상의 지역에 있는 수도시설이 기후 변화 회복력과 사전준비를 강화할 수 있도록 돕기 위해 교육 및 기술 지원에 60만 달러까지 제공할 계획이라고 발표했다.

식수, 폐수, 우수 시설은 기후변화로 인한 잠재적인 영향에 준비하기 위해 다년간의 프로그램에 참여할 계획이다. 도전과제로는 가뭄, 더욱 강력하고 빈번한 폭풍우, 홍수, 해수면 상승, 수질의 변화 등이 포함된다.

지자체들은 EPA의 기후 대응 평가 및 인식 툴을 이용해 기술지원을 받을 예정이다. 이 툴은 사용자들이 기후변화로 인한 리스크를 줄이기 위해 자산, 위협, 적용 옵션을 확인할 수 있도록 돕는 소프트웨어이다.

EPA의 물 부서 차장인 Ken Kopocis은 “기후변화는 멀리 떨어진 위협이 아니다. 그것은 이미 미국의 지자체들에 영향을 주고 있다”고 말했다.

 

 

 

 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced that it will be providing up to $600,000 in training and technical assistance to help water utilities in more than 20 communities across the U.S. bolster their climate change resilience and readiness.

 

Drinking water, wastewater and stormwater utilities will participate in a multi-year program to prepare for potential impacts from climate change. Challenges taken into consideration include droughts, more intense and frequent storms, flooding, sea-level rise, and changes to water quality.

 

Communities will receive technical assistance in using EPA's Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool, a software that helps users identify assets, threats and adaptation options to help reduce risk from climate change.

 

"Climate change isn't a distant threat -- it is already impacting communities across the country," said Ken Kopocis, deputy assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Water. "EPA is helping water utilities plan for and adapt to these challenges to ensure that they can continue to meet their public health and environmental missions no matter what circumstances may arise in the future."

 

Communities receiving assistance from EPA include:
·Auburn, Ala.
·Austin, Texas
·Blair, Neb.
·Bozeman, Mont.
·Faribault, Minn.
·Fredericktown, Mo.
·Haworth, N.J.
·Helena, Mont.
·Henryville, Ind.
·Hillsboro, Kan.
·Houston, Texas
·Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass.
·Nome, Alaska.
·Norfolk, Va.
·Portsmouth, N.H.
·Redwood Valley, Calif.
·Sandpoint, Idaho
·Seminole Tribe of Florida, Fla.

 

During each risk assessment, utilities will consider potential future climate change impacts in an effort to build more climate-ready and resilient water services and infrastructure. Such risk assessments will, for instance, help utilities do the following. These examples illustrate the variety of adaptation options utilities can identify and build into planning based on their risk assessments:
·Use adaptation options to better protect critical pump stations from projected precipitation events
·Use conservation measures to prepare for projected reduced snowpack or less-frequent rainfall events
·Prepare infrastructure for increased salinity to deal with projected sea-level rise

 

[출처 = Water World / 2014년 11월 28일]