Climate change has the potential to exacerbate many of the challenges faced by Boulder County and its municipalities. These challenges include droughts, flash flooding, West Nile virus, heat waves, fire mitigation and fire protection, and increased road maintenance, among others. WWA, together with Stratus Consulting and AMEC Earth & Environmental, was awarded a contract to develop a climate change adaptation plan for the County of Boulder, Colorado and the municipalities contained within its borders. In addition to providing a needed service to the city and county where WWA is physically located, this project provided an opportunity for WWA to engage in on-the-ground adaptation planning efforts, and contribute to WWA broader efforts to understand and improve adaptation practices across the Intermountain West region. WWA’s specific contributions included drafting of a review of relevant science on climate projections and hydrologic impacts (Barsugli), drafting of a chapter on adaptation options for the water sector (Gordon) and co-authoring of the report’s introduction and conclusion (Gordon). The draft report was completed in December 2011 and a final version is expected to be approved by Boulder County Commissioners in 2012.

Papers, Reports, and Presentations for this Project
Draft Boulder County Climate Change Preparedness Plan