The document discusses the need for innovations in municipal infrastructure to address changing climate patterns, particularly with the increasing prevalence of extreme rainfall events. It highlights the importance of using up-to-date design standards and implementing green infrastructure solutions to enhance community resilience. The outdated infrastructure and data can lead to increased risk from climate-related hazards, necessitating proactive measures in design and planning.

1. James Houle
Program Manager
UNH Stormwater Center

2. Context
• Climate Mitigation is all about carbon
(reducing emissions)
• Climate Adaptation is all about water

3. General Outline
• Problem: There are changing patterns and there
need to be new innovations for municipal
infrastructure built with more useful and relevant
data.
• Solutions: Widespread application of GI
incorporating storage and flexible conveyance in
the landscape
• Benefits: improve local community resilience, or
the ability of a community to bounce back quickly
from climate impacts

4. Climate Solutions New England (CSNE), 2014

5. Extreme Events Increasing
% increase from 1958‐2012 in the amount of precipitation from
extreme rain events (heaviest 1% of all daily events from 1958‐2012
Source: Kenneth Kunkel, Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satelites, Noreth Carolina Sate and NOAA NCDC

6. • NOAA Rainfall
data last updated
in 1963
• Research
examining impacts
including the last
50 yrs show that
28‐60% increase
rainfall depths
(Guo 2006)
• infrastructure
design today relies
on outdated data

7. Infrastructure will
be increasingly
compromised by
climate‐related
hazards, including
sea level rise,
coastal flooding,
and intense
precipitation events.
Source: Antioch University of New England, 2009

8. Not if…. When…
Source:Shaleen Jain, UMaine Civil & Environmental Engineering & Climate Change Institute (2012)

9. Three things you can do now
1.) Use up‐to‐date design standards
2.) Include multiple no‐risk improvements to all
designs
3.) Identify hotspots and implement
preventative GI pilot projects

10. Improved Data
TP‐40 (1961)
Northeast Regional
Climate Center
(NRCC, 2010)
Percent
Difference
Event in yrs
Inches per 24 hrs
2 3.1 3.3 5%
10 4.5 4.9 8%
25 5.5 6.2 11%
50 6.0 7.4 19%
100 6.8 8.8 23%
http://precip.eas.cornell.edu/

11. up‐to‐date code
http://www.southeastwatershedalliance.org/Final_SWA_SWStandards_Dec_2012.pdf

12. 2013 Model Regulations
$0 Cost Controls
http://www.southeastwatershedalliance.org/Final_SWA_SWStandards_Dec_2012.pdf

13. TSS (lbs) TP (lbs) TN (lbs)
10‐years 1,471,440 4,470 122,400
25‐years 3,678,600 11,175 122,400

14. Municipalities are facing decisions about the construction or
reconstruction of water resource infrastructure today that will
have a profound impact on the size, scope, cost of drainage,
and relative risk years into the future.

15. 15

16. Highest priority culvert was replaced
with a bridge
16

17. 17

22. Questions?