The U.S. Northeast has a large concentration of highly populated cities with significant demands for water supplies that are currently managed by various water utilities and companies. Consequently, the risks faced by these utilities vary by location and the sectors served. They are vulnerable not only to societal changes such as increasing population, urbanization, and technology, but also to climate variability.
Research focus areas:
- Frequency and duration of droughts – how do droughts impact utilities and what is the probability of occurrence?
- Spatial scale compatibility in forecasts – low resolution climate information makes it difficult to derive information for local systems. We strive to bridge that gap by developing water stress indices for particular utilities while considering specific water sources and demand profiles.
- Drought Indices – Identify and evaluate existing drought indices, and develop new utility drought indices for potential application to water supply management in the urban Northeastern United States.
This project was done in collaboration with University of Massachusetts Amherst.
