| Abstract | As part of a broad initiative to develop decision support tools for the design and rehabilitation of core public infrastructure to ensure adequate performance under existing climate and future climate change, the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and Infrastructure Canada (INFC), in partnership with collaborators and stakeholders, undertook a study to examine risks and potential opportunities emerging from changes in precipitation, temperature and freeze/thaw cycles on water distribution system resilience and performance. Specifically, the project addressed the following: 1) the impacts of temperature and precipitation changes on water consumption and the ensuing implications for hydraulic capacity, 2) the impacts of temperature and precipitation changes on energy consumption in water distribution system operation, 3) the impacts of changes in temperature, precipitation and freeze/thaw cycles on water main breaks, and 4) the impacts of temperature changes on water quality (through tracking of chlorine residuals). This work is envisaged to serve as a first step toward the development of a set of tools for water utility companies to evaluate their system vulnerabilities to changing climate. |
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