Vulnerability of Waste Infrastructure to Climate-Induced Impacts in Coastal Communities
Citation:
Kaplan, O., B. Bierwagen, S. Julius, M. Liang, S. Thorneloe, AND K. Weitz. Vulnerability of Waste Infrastructure to Climate-Induced Impacts in Coastal Communities. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-18/011, 2019.
Impact/Purpose:
The goal for this project was to understand the effects of climate-induced extreme weather events and their impacts (e.g., sea level rise, storm surge, flooding, tidal flooding) on waste management facilities and their operation. We examined the feasibility of using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Incident Waste Decision Support Tool (I-WASTE) in combination with EPA’s Municipal Solid Waste Decision Support Tool (MSW DST) to incorporate future uncertainty of the extent and impact of these events into the long term waste management planning. The results from this project are intended for use in gaining a better understanding of the nature of climate-induced impacts on coastal communities, and how those impacts can affect waste management infrastructure and long term planning needs, as well as options available for minimizing impacts and potential cost implications for municipalities. The study is not intended for emergency management or analysis of options during an event.
Description:
This study was conducted under Air, Climate and Energy (ACE) research program of EPA’s Office of Research and Development. The initial draft of the report was prepared by RTI International in Research Triangle Park, NC under U.S. EPA Contract Number EP-D-11-084, Work Assignment 4-04, Task 5.