# data[].attributes.headline
"Drought Response and Recovery Project for Water Utilities in Spicewood Beach, Texas" - Chelsea Dong

# data[].attributes.subject
"Drought Response and Recovery Project for Water Utilities in Spicewood Beach, Texas" - Chelsea Dong

# data[].attributes.body
Location: Spicewood Beach, Texas

Problem: Spicewood Beach was experiencing a drought as alluvial groundwater levels were depleted rapidly in 2011-2012; the wells could not meet system needs after weeks and there was no time left to create a permanent solution.

Solution: After working to haul water for 2 years in the attempt to restore previous levels, the Spicewood Community slowly found a solution with technology. Working with engineers, they helped to develop a solution for the water intake. They came up with an alternative design where the infiltration gallery for the intake would slowly allow for the water treatment to rise.

Current action: From the drought, the community has worked to communicate with the public about their project and solution provided and the need to focus funding on it.

Question: How did the lack of water impact low-income areas?

# data[].attributes.body
Katelyn Madrigal
The problem in Puerto Rico was that in 2015 they were dealing with a water crisis because of drought and minimal rain. This problem affected water levels of Salinas aquifer which in turn affected the citizens since many farms, buildings, and businesses depend on the aquifer for a water supply. The solution that experts came up with was to use the aquifer storage and recovery strategy, which is where water from other locations would be diverted or harvested and then stored in the aquifer. At the time of the project (2015) one problem that was faced but resolved quickly was finding a funding resource. They ended up getting a FEMA Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) grant. One question I have is, Did other communities in Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands take up this project like they had hoped?

# data[].attributes.body
By 2015, Puerto Rico had suffered from a year-long drought due to a lack of regular rainfall, while their Southern
Coast aquifer water levels had also been declining for the past 20 years. With these low water levels, sea water began to contaminate the inland wells.
After Puerto Rico declared a water emergency, FEMA was funded for the ASR project, which would build a pump to harvest water from the nearby Patillas Reservoir that typically spills, wasted, into the sea. This water would be transported via canal to restore the aquifer's water levels and restore its efficacy.
Before this, the governor's committee has run into challenges in figuring out what to do. They brainstormed from building a new filtration plant to desalination; all of which seemed implausible due to costs.
I wonder how effective this solution is time-wise. Does the aquifer immediately take effect? Or do the Salinas citizens have to wait for the plan to fully cycle?

# data[].attributes.body
1. San Angelo, Texas, USA

2. The city faces heat waves, droughts, and increased risk for wildfires, as well as risk of flooding due to the city's location near the North and South Concho Rivers.

3. Collaborative projects and workshops are being created to help educate the public. Funding has also been used to install weather monitoring stations, and rainwater harvesting systems.

4. While the city is committed to building better climate education, it still faces challenges such as competing priorities and high turnover rates among staff.

5. Have these projects and workshops helped to create a populace dedicated and willing to make environmentally-friendly changes?

# data[].attributes.headline
Columbia County, NY, USA (Jaedon Martinez)

# data[].attributes.subject
Columbia County, NY, USA (Jaedon Martinez)

# data[].attributes.body
1. Columbia County, New York
2. Heavy precipitation is flooding the Northeast. During heavy rain, drainage systems are filled too quickly, flooding both areas upstream and downstream. Roads, houses, and croplands are being flooded during heavy rains. Aquatic organisms also are denied access to their habitats because of said flooding.
3. Identifying areas that are too small to withstand the flooding and installing larger culverts to withstand the water going downstream.
4. Climate records are being collected on different areas to help figure out the size of the culvert that should be installed. The historical data of precipitation cannot predict how much precipitation there would be in the future, which means that there is not a static size of culverts that should be installed. The price of culverts also may go over the budget allowed.
5. How are aquatic animals supposed to deal with the flooding when the water is flowing through their habitats, especially when more water is flowing through culverts?

# data[].attributes.body
In Georgia, after Hurricane Matthew hit, 30 miles inland from the coast has been flooded causing pathogens and bacteria to start growing. Heat emissions also continue to have the sea level rise making conditions worse.

Luckily due to the undeveloped salt marshlands, the land is able to absorb much of the water but that isn't a complete solution. Government programs to help reduce flood risks have been installed.

The government programs are still being used as people that lower flood risks are given a discount to flood insurance. There are also educational programs created by students to spread awareness of flood hazards. Problems the cities still face is how the flooding has damaged the filters spreading bacteria. This puts the people at risk of drinking unsanitary water.

A question I have about the case study is that how are the students spreading awareness about flood hazards and what specifically do they advertise?

# data[].attributes.body
1. Colorado River
2. There is a shortfall in water supply, paired with the growing demand for it. Together, these problems are a big threat to the regions water sources. This water source is the Colorado river basin, which is being drained of its water very quickly.
3. Southern Nevada Water Authority decided that they needed to make a new water intake to pump water from Lake Mead. This would ensure that water remains available for their two million residents and forty million annual visitors. Nevada Water Authority has also set regulations on water to use in order to conserve the water in the Colorado river. Southern Nevada Water Authority decided they needed to construct a new water intake to pump water from Lake Mead to ensure water remains available for their two million residents and forty million annual visitors.
4. Aggressive measures are still being taken in order to reduce vulnerability of the Colorado river basin by 50 percent. A problem that we are facing while trying to solve this problem is the very high costs of this operation. Another future problem that could arise is that they start running out of water from Lake Mead and are forced to find another water source.
5. Where will water be drawn from if the water from Lake Mead starts running low?

# data[].attributes.body
Abbigail Tago P.4

The problem that they were having in Castine Maine was that they were facing a serious drought. It was not only due to the area being hit by the driest season of the year, but a construction job broke water lines, depleting a great amount of water underground. In order to replenish the water supply they designed a new collector and filter for the Battle Avenue pond. The other filter was not as effective, but by catching the water through a natural sand strata underwater, the sand would naturally filter most of the water. They are still facing the drought problem because the filter is not nearly fast enough to keep up with the high water demand which is why water conservation regulations are still in place. I am still curious as to how the sand can act as a filter to the water.

# data[].attributes.body
2. The city of Long Beach has been going through droughts, water shortages, extreme heat, sea level rise, and deteriorating air quality. Climate change has been a hazard for residents, especially ones with health conditions.
3. The city has been holding Climate Resilience Workshops for citizens to come and learn about the hazards and possible solutions and discuss about their own concerns and preferences.
4. The city is continuing to have lecture programs and learning courses for the community. They have been coming up with specific actions to reduce water consumption that can help make the community more resilient to future problems.
5. Has the city been able to get majority of the citizens to participate in these lectures and workshops? How many of their citizens have actually been changing their lifestyle?

# data[].attributes.body
Ashley Lee
1) Pacific Islands
2) People are leaving an impact to the environment due to migration to different places because of the climate change causing extreme weather.
3)There is no solution to this other than people researching the factors of migration in order to anticipate possible future impacts of the climate change on human migration and act based on that.
4) The Marshall Islands Climate and Migration Project asks people three questions to update their research.
5)Is there any way for there to be a solution to this other than research?

# data[].attributes.location_name
North Marin Water District, Rush Creek Place, Novato, CA, USA

# data[].attributes.headline
North Marin Water District, Rush Creek Place, Novato, CA, USA - Nancy Nguyen

# data[].attributes.subject
North Marin Water District, Rush Creek Place, Novato, CA, USA - Nancy Nguyen

# data[].attributes.body
1. Type in the location of your case study.
North Marin Water District

2. Name and Description of the Problem
The problem that the North Marin Water District is currently experiencing a drought problem.

3. Describe the Solution
The governor issued a statewide 25% water usage reduction program in 2015. The North Marin Water District has tried to solve this drought problem through multiple programs such as non-essential water usage bans, rebate programs, partnering with neighboring sanitary districts, and offering recycled water refill stations.

4. Describe what challenges are still being faced.
While the various programs do help conserve water, the fact that the North Marin Water District is still in a drought is still a problem as citizens cannot live with water freely.

5. What is one question you have about the case study?
My question would be "would these programs be sustainable if the population grows in North Marin Water District?"

# data[].attributes.body
Jeongmin Hong
Problem: After the establishment of a new local library in Mount Washington, the library failed to meet the city's standards of collecting storm water. This leads to an increased amount of storm water runoff and the loss of usable storm water that can be stored and used for later.

Solution: Local high school students designed a landscape that allowed for the collection of storm water in rainwater cisterns. In addition, the students designed an entirely new infrastructure of the surrounding plants in order to accommodate for the changes in runoff.

What is still being done/Challenges: Currently, the high school students are developing new plans to further improve the conservation of water as a whole in their town.

Question: One question that I have is how these designs can be applied to much bigger and broader scenarios.

# data[].attributes.body
The ACF river basin covers 19,600 square miles across Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Currently, the area is going through a drought, causing the area around the ACF to lose necessary water resources for the people surrounding it. Since the river basin stretches through 3 states, there is a constant stress because of the water shortage in the area. To help the drought, the area is constantly monitored to identify the circumstances and possibly predict future droughts. This way, people are able to plan ahead for the droughts. I also wonder if there is a way to increase the precipitation in the area, and how?

# data[].attributes.body
Washington, USA (Andrew, Estep)

What is the problem?
A basin in Washington, USA has given life to thousands of crops in the area that provide a source of income for the locals. Over the past 15 years, the basin has faced 1/3 of those years in drought.  The fish that are sold from that basin are vital too the economy.

What are they doing to fix it?
Companies and locals alike contributed to a multibillion dollar effort called The Yakima Basin Integrated Water Resource Management Plan. The solution includes designated passageways for fish, enhanced water conservation efforts, habitat and protection will also get enhanced efforts, and structural changes to the water source itself.

What is still being done?

The first step of the plan is to be finished by 2025, and 70,000 acres of land in forests were purchased for restoration and watershed conservation

One question I have is when will this project be completed? How does watershed conservation and enhanced protection give way for protection against droughts?

# data[].attributes.body
1. Nogales, AZ, USA
2. Half of Nogales’ water comes from alluvial aquifers that are highly responsive to rainfall events. Although it is a convenient source of water that recharges easily, it is very susceptible to climate-related problems.
3. Based on surface hydrology, aquifer geology, and other conditions, hydrologists can develop useful mathematical models to represent surface and groundwater processes. These models can give water managers an opportunity to explore potential conditions, including the costs and benefits of various management strategies.
4) There was early success, so stakeholders will continue to fund and give input for the project.
5) How effective can these models be in simulating actual conditions?

# data[].attributes.body
Due to global warming the temperature of the rivers and creeks have risen quite a bit causing an all time low of salmon in the rivers and springs of South Fork. The South Fork Salmonid Recovery Plan in short will add cold-water refuges, floodplain reconnection, removing upstream barriers, etc. The biggest challenge faced is just climate change, and getting landowners to cooperate with the state. I wanted to know how the shortage of salmon will affect local communities market and how effective these new changes will be to bring back in Salmon.

# data[].attributes.body
(Abed Adre)The problem is that water from the rain and runoff brings in pollution into the river. This river is the primary source for the communities by the river and when that water source is contaminated it makes the water not safe for consumption. The solution is to change how storm water is managed in the communities, because 100% of the storm water is redirected back into the river which causes the pollution so instead they are going to rework the storm water systems and work on filtering out the water as well. They are currently working on reworking the storm water system and working to reduce the amount of storm water being brought to the river. Some challenge that are present is if they are going to redirect the water where are they going to bring it, as well as how they don't have a lot of control over rainy seasons creating more storm runoff. Will they create new plants to filter out specifically storm water or both river and storm water.

# data[].attributes.headline
"Tribal Community Partners with Researchers to Monitor Food and Climate" - Grishma Jain

# data[].attributes.subject
"Tribal Community Partners with Researchers to Monitor Food and Climate" - Grishma Jain

# data[].attributes.body
Problem: Since climate change and pollution has an impact on the waters, the communities in Kake have had negative effects on their food security and access.

Solution: Though no direct action has been taken against the issues regarding pollution and climate change, the Kake community has formed a partnership to research the impacts of pollution on the waters and wildlife present.

Current Action: Research is still ongoing, and challenges that are faced are mainly the efforts not being contributed towards practical action, instead being directed towards research.

Question: How does the community plan to better their food security since it is being threatened?

# data[].attributes.headline
Ronmiko Barretto, Oxford Academy, Biotech P4

# data[].attributes.subject
Ronmiko Barretto, Oxford Academy, Biotech P4

# data[].attributes.body
1. Colorado, USA
2. The issue is the potential impact climate change will have on Colorado's water supply. Water is very in every place in the world and especially in Colorado's agriculture.
3. Proposed solutions are increased reservoir storage, increased conservation efforts, and use of inter-basin water transfers. The most likely solution is the state water plan. The plan presented solutions for meeting gaps in water supply.
4. Colorado officials are still discussing ways to solve their water issue and are continually improving the state water plan. Projections of temperature, precipitation, snowpack, and streamflow are key factors that need to be taken into consideration.
5. What will the officials ask of Colorado citizens in order to help avoid water problems in the future?

# data[].attributes.body
Kelly Vo -
1. The location of the case study is Pender County, NC, USA.

2. Rapid development along coastal NC has caused significant wetland reduction.

3. By understanding the trends in development growth and marking areas with high urbanization risk, planners are able to set and promote regulations to protect these areas (while allowing development to occur at the same time).

4. The results have allowed the local government to make more sustainable development plans and practices. Planners continue to observe, mark down, and plan the future development of the country.

5. What happens when there is a lack of results from the more sustainable development plans and solutions become hard to find in order to promote development and protection of the wetlands at the same time?

# data[].attributes.body
1. The location is Oklahoma
2. Miami, a small town in Oklahoma, lies at the bottom of mountains. It is very prone to flooding as well as other natural disasters such as droughts and storms.
3. Funded by NOAA, they are holding workshops to educate people on severe weather and what can be done to prevent impactful damage. They want to reach more people and spread awareness as well as installing more information spreaders, such as radios.
4. To this day, they are still working on their outreach and trying to form different internal city operations.
5. A question I have about this case study is instead of just educating people, can't they physically do something instead like upgrading houses to be designed for floods, etc.