BOARD AGENDA MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT:
Title
Adoption of Climate Change Action Plan.
End
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Adopt the Climate Change Action Plan and Direct Development of the Implementation Program.
Body
SUMMARY:
The Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP, Attachment 1) guides Santa Clara Valley Water District's (Valley Water) response to climate change and confirms greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and climate change adaptation as priorities throughout its mission areas of water supply, flood protection, and environmental stewardship. This memorandum summarizes Valley Water's vulnerabilities to climate change, goals and strategies to mitigate and adapt to climate change, and implementation of the Climate Change Action Plan.
Climate Change Vulnerabilities
Valley Water conducted a comprehensive vulnerability analysis as the first step in the CCAP process. Average annual maximum temperature in Santa Clara County is projected to rise by 1.8?F to 2.0?F by 2050, and extreme heat events are likely to increase in frequency. Precipitation could potentially increase in overall volume, and extreme precipitation events may increase in frequency. Santa Clara County may experience more frequent and severe droughts, increased risk of wildfire, increased threats to surface water quality, and sea level rise. Sierra Nevada snowpack, the source of the County's imported water supply, is expected to decline as a result of climate change.
Climate change will impact Valley Water operations in many ways. Water supply reliability will be challenged by changes to local and imported water supplies and surface water quality. Increasing storm intensity and sea level rise will affect flood protection efforts. Local ecosystems may degrade in response to declining water quantity and quality, drier soils, floods, droughts, stream channel erosion or incision, wildfires, invasive species, and other possible climate change impacts. This will threaten the success of ecosystem stewardsh...
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