EPA National Water Program 2012 Strategy

The National Water Program  (NWP) 2012 Strategy addresses climate change impacts in the context of EPA’s water programs, reflecting the recognition that adaptation “requires a collaborative, problem solving approach, especially in a resource-constrained environment.”  The NWP 2012 Strategy was designed to build upon other initiatives, such as the recent Coming Together for Clean Water strategy and the Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water Infrastructure Sustainability Policy. It also details EPA’s commitments deriving from three climate change strategic plans currently under development within the federal government:

• for freshwater resources by the ICCATF Freshwater Work Group;
• for the ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes by the National Ocean Council (NOC); and
• for fish, wildlife, and plants by the National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Workgroup.

Specific goals, which include building collaborative networks to take effective adaptation measures, as well as making hydrological and climate data projections available, and strategic actions are highlighted in the executive summary and explained in the body of the report. The strategy also summarizes climate change impacts to water resources based on recent literature and outlines plans to achieve its mission to protect and restore aquatic ecosystems in the United States.