When it Rains, it Pours; Approaches to decision making when facing an uncertain future.

This presentation shows how research on changes in heavy precipitation is being leveraged across different programs to reduce climate change vulnerabilities while also pointing to ways to "institutionalize" climate preparedness within decision making processes. Utilities are faced with having to make near-term policy and decisions while balancing costs and long-term uncertainty. With pressure from the public and decisions makers utilities are often put in a position to make hasty decisions and policy that may be costly and lead to unnecessary use of limited resources (money, land, etc.).
Changes in design standards are being assessed, allowing decision makers to evaluate the tradeoffs to balance performance needs, costs, and uncertainty. The effectiveness of these choices will be evaluated using established criteria and metrics, including the ability to meet water quality targets, minimize or avoid combined sewer overflows, and minimize or avoid damaging flood flows. Along with an understanding of the impacts of affordability and addressing historical inequities in land use and infrastructure investment. Utilities will need to use a variety of available regulatory tools, such as integrated planning, to help shape long-term investments in grey and green infrastructure, and how those initial assessments should be led by the development of an adaptive decision-making framework designed to help manage uncertainty.
This presentation provides a case study of how different organizations move from knowledge to action on climate preparedness, and how that journey can drive deeper organizational learning. The presentation will explore how utilities can use investments in research to deepen its understanding of climate impacts on stormwater, wastewater, and flood management. The presentation will also discuss adaptation approaches to addressing these impacts and how this work prompted the development of a new adaptive management framework for managing more intense precipitation.