Achieving Equitable, Climate-Resilient Water and Sanitation for Frontline Communities Water, Sanitation, and Climate Change in the United States Series, Part 3

This report contains numerous documented efforts of ways that frontline communities are making progress toward equitable, climate-resilient water and sanitation. Built infrastructure is being adapted to better withstand the impacts of extreme storms, floods, and drought. Technologies and innovations are being designed and deployed in remote, hard-to-reach communities to deliver climate-resilient water and sanitation to homes for the first time. Natural infrastructure strategies are being used to enhance the climate resilience of water and sanitation by helping recharge aquifers and attenuate floodwaters, for example. Water managers and planners are incorporating climate resilience and centering frontline communities in efforts to deliver equitable, climate-resilient water and sanitation access to all. Frontline communities are overcoming barriers to accessing the financial resources that they need to pay for climate adaptation of water and sanitation or recover and respond to climate disasters. Climate and water knowledge and information from government agencies, water managers, local experts, and climate scientists are being integrated with place-based knowledges to ensure frontline communities and people in positions of power and authority can understand and access the data and information they need for decision making. The capacity of water and sanitation systems staff and decision makers is growing to better center the needs of frontline communities, educate and support the water and sanitation sector workforces in improving climate resilience, and build connections with interdependent sector.

This is part three  in the Pacific Institute’s three-part Water, Sanitation, and Climate Change in the United States series. Click here for part one and  here for part two.