Introduction To The 2016 Workplan:
Introduction
This Workplan describes the actions that the National Water Program is planning to take in 2016 to implement the National Water Program 2012 Strategy: Response to Climate Change.
The National Water Program at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the National Water Program 2012 Strategy: Response to Climate Change (2012 Strategy) in December 2012 as an update to the climate change strategy released in 2008. The 2012 Strategy describes long-term goals for the management of sustainable water resources in light of climate change. It is intended to be a roadmap to guide program planning and inform decision-makers during the Agency’s planning and budgeting process.
This Workplan builds on substantial work conducted in 2012-2015 to implement the 2012 Strategy. These implementation actions by EPA water programs at the national and regional levels are described in annual “highlights of progress” reports for 2012-2015 (available here).
The five long-term programmatic “vision areas” described in the 2012 Strategy provide the framework for this Workplan. These five areas are:
1. water infrastructure;
2. watersheds and wetlands;
3. coastal and ocean waters;
4. water quality; and
5. working with Tribes.
The Workplan includes a brief summary of the 19 goals and 53 supporting actions described in the 2012 Strategy that support each of these five vision areas. For each of the 19 goals, the Plan describes specific implementation actions expected to be taken in 2016 by:
National water program offices within the Office of Water at EPA Headquarters;
Water programs in the ten EPA regional offices; and
EPA Office of Research and Development offices and laboratories.
These national and regional actions, supported by research initiatives, constitute the best progress that the Agency is able to make toward achieving climate change adaptation goals for EPA water programs given the resources that are presently available.
Introduction
This Workplan describes the actions that the National Water Program is planning to take in 2016 to implement the National Water Program 2012 Strategy: Response to Climate Change.
The National Water Program at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the National Water Program 2012 Strategy: Response to Climate Change (2012 Strategy) in December 2012 as an update to the climate change strategy released in 2008. The 2012 Strategy describes long-term goals for the management of sustainable water resources in light of climate change. It is intended to be a roadmap to guide program planning and inform decision-makers during the Agency’s planning and budgeting process.
This Workplan builds on substantial work conducted in 2012-2015 to implement the 2012 Strategy. These implementation actions by EPA water programs at the national and regional levels are described in annual “highlights of progress” reports for 2012-2015 (available here).
The five long-term programmatic “vision areas” described in the 2012 Strategy provide the framework for this Workplan. These five areas are:
1. water infrastructure;
2. watersheds and wetlands;
3. coastal and ocean waters;
4. water quality; and
5. working with Tribes.
The Workplan includes a brief summary of the 19 goals and 53 supporting actions described in the 2012 Strategy that support each of these five vision areas. For each of the 19 goals, the Plan describes specific implementation actions expected to be taken in 2016 by:
National water program offices within the Office of Water at EPA Headquarters;
Water programs in the ten EPA regional offices; and
EPA Office of Research and Development offices and laboratories.
These national and regional actions, supported by research initiatives, constitute the best progress that the Agency is able to make toward achieving climate change adaptation goals for EPA water programs given the resources that are presently available.
