New Climate Change Handbook for Regional Watershed Planning to Assist Water Managers Plan for Climate Change

November 2011

Developed cooperatively by the U.S.EPA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, California Department of Water Resources, and the Resources Legacy Fund, the "Climate Change Handbook for Regional Watershed Planning" provides a framework for considering climate change in water management planning.  Key decision considerations, resources, tools, and decision options are presented that will guide resource managers and planners as they develop means of adapting their programs to a changing climate.  The handbook uses the California Department of Water Resources' Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) planning framework as a model into which analysis of climate change impacts and planning for adaptation and mitigation can be integrated.  In addition, the handbook provides a checklist for identifying and prioritizing the vulnerability of local watersheds.  The checklist includes questions about water demand and supply, wildlife and habitat, sea level rise, critical infrastructure, and hydropower.  To view the handbook, please click here.