Sandpoint, Idaho Partners with EPA to Build Drinking Water Resiliency
A recent New York Times Assignment America Series article featuring Sandpoint, ID highlighted the toll that drought and climate change are taking on rural western towns. EPA has been working with the City of Sandpoint Public Works Department, along with several other water utilities, to help better understand potential climate change impacts and evaluate adaptation options to address these impacts. EPA assisted Sandpoint as they conducted a climate risk assessment using EPA’s Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool (CREAT). Through several webinars and an in-person visit, EPA and Sandpoint examined the threat of drought, reduced snowpack, and wildfire to its watershed, reservoir, and conveyance infrastructure. By analyzing these threats and the possible adaptation measures available, Sandpoint is now in a position to develop and implement comprehensive adaptation plans that will mitigate their risk in a changing climate.
