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.

Several North Atlantic hurricane season records were broken in 2020, including the formation of 30 named storms, 12 of which made landfall in the US. What were the impacts of such an active season on water management in Florida? This webinar featured a panel session to discuss the 2020 hurricane season, impacts to utilities and water management districts, and the challenges associated with disaster/crisis communication in Florida related to climate change. Additional webinar presentations featured two different projects that have the goal of co-producing climate science with stakeholders…

In the past 10 years, the FloridaWCA has held 24 workshops and webinars that bring together diverse stakeholders interested in the nexus of climate change and water supply and planning in Florida. Only ONE person in the history of the group has attended all 24 workshops/ webinars: Dr. Tirusew Asefa, Manager of Planning and System Support at Tampa Bay Water!

Kevin Morris, PE, BCEE, and Manager of Engineering and Projects at the Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority, has been a key collaborator of the Florida Water & Climate Alliance for the past 10 years. Kevin is transitioning to a position at Manatee County after 21 years of working with the Authority and will be leaving his current role on the Steering Committee of the FloridaWCA.

The Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority included continued engagement with the Florida Water & Climate Alliance as an initiative in their 2020 Strategic Plan, recognizing the importance of the collaboration.

A new publication by University of Florida IFAS Extension provides locally relevant and clear answers to Florida’s climate change frequently asked questions. The FAQ addresses several areas of concerns, including the basic science behind climate change, the projected impacts to residents of south Florida, and actions that individuals can take to reduce their carbon footprints.

The FloridaWCA hosted a webinar on Water Quality and Climate Change Issues on November 13, 2020. The webinar featureed a panel session on water quality issues from Biscayne Bay to Tampa Bay including challenges and successes in addressing such issues in the face of climate change.

Members of the FloridaWCA recently published an article in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society presenting a case study of the organization’s history, its achievements and lessons learned at the organizational, scientific/technical, and personal levels. Their goals are to 1) describe how the organizational process has contributed to actionable science based on posing and […]