Since 2019, Karen Schlatter has coordinated the FloridaWCA, working to expand membership and apply climate related data and tools to water resource decision-making in Florida.

The Florida Water & Climate Alliance (FloridaWCA) hosted a webinar with the UF Water Institute on October 27, 2022 on the Impacts of Extreme Weather and Climate Events on Florida’s Water Agencies. The webinar featured presentations on Florida’s climate variability and trends, impacts on water resource management, and various agencies’ strategies for planning and adaptation, with a focus on recent impacts of Hurricane Ian.

Utilities in the state of Florida use hydrologic, climate, and water supply and demand models to different degrees and with different purposes; however, they share similar constraints on, and needs for, improved seasonal climate forecasts. While seasonal climate forecasts have been available for many years, their utility to the water management community has been relatively modest to date. This webinar featured presentations on the development of improved seasonal forecasts using NASA products, their integration into Tampa Bay Water supply and demand forecasting, and a better understanding of the decision-making processes of utilities and the benefits/risks of integrating different climate-related tools into those processes.

The American Academy of Water Resources Engineers (AAWRE) proudly announce Tirusew Asefa, Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE, F.ASCE as the recipient of the AAWRE 2022 Outstanding Practitioner in Water Resources Engineering Award, for his outstanding contributions in bridging the gap between research and practice to produce innovative, actionable knowledge and tools that advance the resilience of urban water resources. Specifically, Dr. Asefa’s leadership and application of applied research in solving real-life problems are exemplary in the water industry.

Florida has a distinct wet season, which serves the annual water needs of the State and beyond. Our earlier studies have indicated that in addition to the seasonal rainfall anomalies, the variations of the length of the season also contribute significantly to variability of the wet season over Florida. Furthermore, the variations of the onset date of the rainy season relate significantly to the seasonal anomalies of length of the season and rainfall. In this study, we have used the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) Integrated Multi-Satellite Retrievals for Global Precipitation Mission version 6 (IMERG) rainfall dataset to monitor the rainy season over the five Water Management Districts of Florida for 2021.

Presentations an session recordings are now available for the Water Utility Resilience Forum held Dec. 13-15, 2021. Featuring insights from water sector leaders and subject-matter experts, the Forum provided a dialogue on what utilities are doing today to be resilient and what a resilient future looks like. The Forum was co-convened by the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies.

The FloridaWCA hosted a webinar on Perspectives on Saltwater Intrusion Jan. 18, 1:00-3:00-pm. The webinar featured presentations from a range of perspectives including planning, public water supply, water management and ecosystem restoration on the impacts of saltwater intrusion, decision making under uncertainty and pathways forward.

The FloridaWCA hosted a webinar on September 20, 2021 on Climate Change Impacts on Wastewater and Stormwater Management. The webinar featured presentations on risk and vulnerability assessments of wastewater systems to sea level rise, risk-based decision making for total maximum daily loads, and future rainfall modeling based on downscaled climate model data. A presentation also highlighted monitoring of the onset of the rainy season in FL as part of the FloridaWCA NASA-funded project.

Several jobs related to climate resilience and sustainability are currently open with FloridaWCA partner, Broward County. Opportunities include Natural Resources Administrator (Resilience Unit), Energy Resilience and Sustainability Specialist, and Environmental Program Supervisor (Climate Resilience Unit).

The Coastal & Heartland National Estuary Partnership is hosting a free public event to share knowledge, showcase climate action, engage leadership across sectors, and mobilize the collaboration needed to tackle this significant challenge. The Summit includes expert presentations with interactive question and answer sessions, to exchange ideas on expanding the region’s climate resiliency. For registration and more information, please visit chnep.org/2021-climate-summit.