202 Multi-Benefit Resources

Climate Risk Informed Decision Analysis (CRIDA), Collaborative Water Resources Planning for an Uncertain Future

Author: Mendoza et al., UNESCO and International Center for Integrated Water Resources Management (ICIWaRM) (2018)
Geography: Global
Level of Detail: Decision support tool

Water Management Strategies: Centralized Stormwater Infrastructure, Distributed Stormwater Infrastructure, Flood Control, Land Management

Specific Benefits or Trade-offs: Extreme events, Regulatory compliance, Reputation, Risk and Resilience, System resilience, Water supply reliability

Climate Risk Informed Decision Analysis (CRIDA) is a methodology for water resources planning and management when significant uncertainty exists about future conditions. This guidance document adds to the existing water resources management planning literature by providing a coherent and consistent approach for dealing with anticipated but unquantified changes due to “unknown unknowns” such as climate change that impact project planning, socioeconomic justification, resource management, and engineering design.

Wellspring: Source Water Resilience and Climate Adaptation

Author: Matthews et al., The Nature Conservancy (2019)
Geography: Global
Level of Detail: Case study, Qualitative description

Water Management Strategies: Centralized Stormwater Infrastructure, Distributed Stormwater Infrastructure, Environmental Remediation, Flood Control, Groundwater Management, Land Management, Surface Water Storage

Specific Benefits or Trade-offs: Agricultural, Community resilience, Energy, Energy production, Extreme events, Habitat and biodiversity, Health and safety, In stream flows, Land and environment, People and Community, Risk and Resilience, System resilience, Water supply reliability

Wellspring: Source Water Resilience and Climate Adaptation contributes to the evolving discussions connected to source water protection, risk, resilience, and climate change. This report provides a thorough description of literature, tools, and case examples of resilient management of source waters.

Rapid Benefit Indicators (RBI) Approach

Author: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (N/A)
Geography: U.S.
Level of Detail: Decision support tool, Quantitative benefits

Water Management Strategies: Environmental Remediation, Land Management

Specific Benefits or Trade-offs: Land and environment, People and Community, Risk and Resilience

The Rapid Benefit Indicators (RBI) approach allows users to quickly estimate and quantify non-monetary benefits to people around an ecological restoration site. It includes several tools to help users develop and summarize indicators as well as a spatial tool for geographic analysis of benefits.

EnviroAtlas

Author: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (N/A)
Geography: U.S.
Level of Detail: Decision support tool, Quantitative benefits

Water Management Strategies: Environmental Remediation, Land Management

Specific Benefits or Trade-offs: Health and safety, Land and environment, Local economy, People and Community

EnviroAtlas is an online mapping and analysis tool by the U.S. EPA that allows users to evaluate the potential impact of proposed infrastructure and policy decisions on human health, the economy, and the environment. Data and other resources are freely available for download.

The environmental benefits of water recycling and reuse

Author: Anderson, Dept. of Public Works and Services, Sydney, Australia (2003)
Geography: Global
Level of Detail: Case study, Qualitative description, Quantitative benefits

Water Management Strategies: Water Reuse

Specific Benefits or Trade-offs: Land and environment

The environmental benefits of water recycling and reuse presents on the links between water reuse and sustainable water management through the examination of a variety of case studies from Australia. Some case studies included also quantify the environmental benefits of water reuse.

EPA Tools and Resources Webinar Series

Author: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (N/A)
Geography: U.S.
Level of Detail: Decision support tool

Water Management Strategies: Distributed Stormwater Infrastructure, Environmental Remediation, Land Management, Wastewater Treatment, Water Reuse

Specific Benefits or Trade-offs: N/A

The EPA Tools and Resources Webinar Series provides a monthly update on EPA tools and resources available to help inform decision-making. Each webinar focuses on a single tool and recordings are kept available online to watch at a later date.

The Untapped Potential of California’s Water Supply: Efficiency, Reuse, and Stormwater – Issue Brief

Author: Gleick et al., Pacific Institute, NRDC (2014)
Geography: Western U.S.
Level of Detail: Case study, Qualitative description

Water Management Strategies: Agricultural efficiency, Commercial or industrial reuse, Delivery system efficiency, Distributed Stormwater Infrastructure, Indirect potable reuse, Infiltration and filtration, On site non potable reuse, Runoff storage, Urban and industrial non potable reuse, Urban indoor efficiency, Urban outdoor efficiency, Water conservation and efficiency, Water Reuse

Specific Benefits or Trade-offs: Ambient water quality, Demand reduction, Energy, Energy for water extraction, GHG emissions, Land and environment, Local economy, People and Community, Risk and Resilience, Supply augmentation, Water quality, Water Supply, Water supply reliability

Increased pressures on California’s water supply, including from population growth and intense periods of drought exacerbated by climate change, are leading to the overuse of surface water and groundwater. But with existing technology and conservation methods, the state can take vital steps to improve its resilience to drought and plan for a more sustainable water future. This issue brief, produced in collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council, is a statewide analysis of the potential for improved efficiency in agricultural and urban water use, water reuse and recycling, and increased capturing of local rainwater.

Green Infrastructure Co-Benefits Valuation Tool

Author: Armstrong, Earth Economics, GI Exchange (2019)
Geography: U.S.
Level of Detail: Economic valuation, Quantitative benefits

Water Management Strategies: Conservation design, Distributed Stormwater Infrastructure, Infiltration or filtration, Low impact landscaping, Runoff conveyance, Runoff storage

Specific Benefits or Trade-offs: Aesthetics, Air quality, Ambient water quality, Carbon sequestration, Educational opportunity, Flooding, Land and environment, Peak flood volume, People and Community, Supply augmentation, Total flood volume, Urban heat island, Water quality, Water Supply

The Green Infrastructure Co-benefits Valuation Tool is intended to provide a framework, methods, and values to support rapid screening-level analysis of the costs and benefits associated with a range of GI investments. The tool itself is based in Microsoft Excel and comes with a users guide and fact sheet.

Water Funds Toolbox

Author: The Nature Conservancy (N/A)
Geography: Global
Level of Detail: Case study, Decision support tool, Qualitative description

Water Management Strategies: Agricultural land management, Conservation design, Distributed Stormwater Infrastructure, Floodplain connectivity and rehabilitation, Infiltration or filtration, Land Management, Low impact landscaping, Recharge area protection, Reforestation and forest conservation, Riparian buffers, Stream protection and restoration, Water conservation and efficiency, Wetland protection and restoration

Specific Benefits or Trade-offs: Land and environment, People and Community, Risk and Resilience, Water Supply

The Water Fund Toolbox provides a wide variety of resources, case studies, tools, etc. for groups seeking to create or advance the work of a Water Fund. A Water Fund is an organization that designs and enhances financial and governance mechanisms which unite public, private, and civil society stakeholders around a common goal to contribute to water security through nature-based solutions and sustainable water management.

Landscape Performance Series: Benefits Toolkit

Author: Landscape Architecture Foundation (N/A)
Geography: U.S.
Level of Detail: Economic valuation, Quantitative benefits

Water Management Strategies: Conservation design, Distributed Stormwater Infrastructure, Low impact landscaping, Outdoor water use efficiency, Water conservation and efficiency

Specific Benefits or Trade-offs: Flooding, Water quality, Water Supply

The Benefits Toolkit, housed in the Landscape Performance Series, lists calculators and tools that directly help with quantifying the benefits of landscapes. Users can filter results by “Landscape Performance Benefit” including several options for water-related benefits.