Red Lodge Clearinghouse

Climate change could spur more water pollution and reduce the availability of drinking water, according to a new U.S. EPA strategy for coping with global warming.

The report foresees shifting shorelines and changing ocean chemistry. It says warming water will raise contaminant concentrations and new precipitation patterns will affect the availability of drinking water. And it warns that intense storms could damage water infrastructure and increase stormwater runoff.

Coastal areas will suffer some of the greatest problems because of increased flooding, storm damage and the increasing temperature and acidification of marine waters.

The document outlines nearly 50 proposals for how the agency's water program can respond to climate change. Senior EPA officials in the water and air offices wrote the report, which EPA's top water administrator, Benjamin Grumbles, called "a timely response to a serious challenge."

Expanding programs that mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and promote carbon capture and sequestration will help forestall the effects of climate change, the report says. EPA must also change existing water programs to continue to meet drinking water, clean water and wetlands protection goals.

The draft urges increased research on the effects of climate change on water. It suggests that EPA scientists collaborate with outside researchers. Meanwhile, it says the National Water Program should maintain a permanent climate work group to support regional offices' efforts.

The draft is open to public comment until May 27.

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