Like coalescing weather fronts that meet in a destructive "perfect storm,"
several unrelated announcements during the last two weeks highlight natural and man-made phenomena that are on a potentially catastrophic collision course in this country – extreme weather events and a deteriorating water infrastructure.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced in early December that the United States had set a record with 12 separate, billion-dollar weather/climate disasters in 2011, with an aggregate damage total of approximately $52 billion. The record year breaks the previous record of nine separate billion-dollar weather/climate disasters in one year, which occurred in 2008. The 2011 events include droughts, wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, and flooding. NOAA is still evaluating damage totals from Tropical Storm Lee in September and the October winter storm that impacted the Northeast.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) reported that, based on a national survey, there were at least 2,941 monthly weather records broken in communities throughout the United States in 2011. (However, NRDC didn't provide any perspective on how unusual it is to break nearly 3,000 weather records in any year.) Their survey found at least 1,302 heat-related records, 1,090 rainfall records, and 549 snowfall records were broken. The group launched a Web-based interactive extreme weather mapping tool to highlight the trends (www.nrdc.org/health/extremeweather/default.asp).

Both NOAA and NRDC highlighted a recently released "Special Report on Extreme Events" from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that concluded that the effects of climate change will intensify extreme heat, heavy precipitation, and maximum wind speeds of tropical storms.

On the infrastructure side, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) issued a report, "Failure to Act: The Economic Impact of Current Investment Trends in Water and Wastewater Treatment Infrastructure," that concluded unless new investments are made, by 2020 unreliable and insufficient water infrastructure will cost American businesses an additional $147 billion. The average American household can expect to spend $900 more a year in higher water rates.

The United States' annual capital investment in water infrastructure is approximately $36.4 billion. According to ASCE, the annual investment should increase to $91 billion to meet the needs of the nation's growing population for clean, available water. Note the following disclaimer on ASCE's report: "The report's projections assume needs and available funding based on current trends, and do not adjust for possible costs associated with climate change, changes in regulations, or other factors."

Government and public works agencies are attempting to head off a water infrastructure perfect storm. In early December, the California Department of Water Resources, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Resources Legacy Fund, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a publication to assist water resource managers. The "Climate Change Handbook for Regional Water Planning" (www.water.ca.gov/climatechange/CCHandbook.cfm) provides resources and tools to guide water resource managers and planners as they adapt and navigate the complexities of climate change.

"Our scientists, engineers, and planners are on the cutting edge of analyzing and preparing for the effects of climate change on our water supply," said Mark Cowin, director of the Department of Water Resources. "For example, climate change is considered in Integrated Regional Water Management, one of our primary strategies for improving water management at the local, regional, and state level."

Nevertheless, if extreme weather events continue to increase in frequency and intensity at the current rate, our aging, undersized water infrastructure could quickly be overwhelmed.

Bob Drake
bdrake@zweigwhite.com