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Extreme Events Workshop Series to Culminate in Synthesis Workshop

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Extreme Events Case Studies
April 15, 2013 Agenda
The planning committee for six case study workshops on “Adaptation Strategies and Information Needs in Response to Extreme Events” is hosting a culminating Synthesis Workshop scheduled for April 15, 2013, 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in Washington, D.C. Details on how to register for the webcast are available online. Download the full agenda here
The planning committee, composed of two federal agencies (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency), two water research foundations (Water Environment Research Foundation and Water Research Foundation), and two other applied research organizations (Concurrent Technologies Corporation and Noblis), will present and discuss preliminary results of the workshop series. Representatives from each of the six communities will join discussions of lessons learned that can be helpful for other communities facing similar extreme events, and to explore ways that national organizations can help local communities with adaptation and preparedness. 
The workshop series focused on communities in six watersheds that have already experienced extreme events, including drought, floods, sea level rise and storm surge, and unseasonable frost. Communities included Russian River Basin (Sonoma County, CA); Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin (Gwinnett County, GA); Tidewater Virginia (Williamsburg, VA); National Capital Region (Washington, D.C.); Lower Missouri River Basin (Kansas City, MO) and the Lower Colorado River Basin (Austin, TX) 
Fact sheets based on these six workshops are available online. The Synthesis Workshop will inform a longer report scheduled to be produced in Summer 2013, which will also be available at this website when complete.
Background
In August 2010, more than 80 water and wastewater utility practitioners participated in a two-day workshop that focused on their climate-sensitive information needs for making key decisions on long-lived and costly investments (See: http://www.waterrf.org/PublicReportLibrary/4340.pdf for the full workshop proceedings and outcomes).
Participants reported they were particularly concerned about their risks and vulnerabilities in preparing for and adapting to an increased number and intensity of extreme weather events due to climate change. They said a number of their colleagues have already faced an extreme event and that others could benefit from the lessons learned from their experiences, including identifying priorities for next steps.
Research indicates that impacts of climate change include increases in heavy downpours, rising temperatures and sea level, earlier snowmelts, and alteration in river flows, including more variability in in weather patterns. Work being conducted by federal agencies and NGOs, including this series of workshops, will provide water resource managers and other decision makers with new information and tools to help build resilience and preparedness for such events.
Contact
Nancy Beller-Simms, NOAA, (301) 734-1205, nancy.beller-simms@noaa.gov
Karen Metchis, EPA, (202) 564-0734, Metchis.karen@epa.gov
Lauren Fillmore, WERF, (571) 384-2100, lfillmore@werf.org
Kenan Ozekin, Water RF, (303) 734-3464, kozekin@waterrf.org
Claudio Ternieden, CTC, (703) 310-5672, terniedc@ctc.com
Erica Brown, Noblis, (703) 610-2149, erica.brown@noblis.org

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