Development of an adaptation toolbox to protect southeast Florida water supplies from climate change

Sea level rise and changes in precipitation patterns due to climate change present a challenge to water resources engineers and planners in southeast Florida with regard to sustainable water supplies and Everglades restoration. Because over half of the urban areas of Miami-Dade and Broward counties, as well as portions of Palm Beach County (home to 5 million people), are at an elevation below 5 ft national geodetic vertical datum (ngvd), protection against sea level rise and coastal migration presents a challenge. Current approaches to water supply will not protect the resilience and prolong the sustainability of the region's water resources. In this paper, the authors outline the potential effects of sea level rise scenarios for coastal southeast Florida and develop a toolbox of options for adaptation for water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities to apply. Any given option may not be appropriate for all utilities, and any given utility may deem there to be benefits to pursuing multiple strategies on a timeline in keeping with the latest estimates of sea level rise. The authors also developed milestones to trigger infrastructure investments, as climate changes may occur more rapidly or more slowly than currently projected. While applied to southeast Florida, many of these same toolbox items may be useful for other utilities located in coastal areas with low elevation, high water tables, and significant wet and dry seasons.