Providing Planning Synergy: Integrating Resilience & Adaptation with Asset Management

NHDES' Resilience and Adaptation Program aids municipalities and utilities in identifying natural disaster and climate related vulnerabilities within their systems and assisting with corrective implementation measures. The program covers both drinking water and wastewater infrastructure and integrates with the NHDES Asset Management Program framework. Typical areas of assistance are:

• Vulnerability assessments.
• Integration of infrastructure vulnerability data into asset management programs and emergency management related plans.
• Identifying funding resources.
• Training and community outreach. 
• Design strategies to address target concerns.   

A foundational component of the program is the Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment (CCVA) contract. The initial contract is currently in progress and has nine participating communities including Hooksett, Salem, Milford, Plymouth, Rochester, Exeter, Keene, Merrimack, and Dover – all of which have well-established asset management programs to build upon. The CCVA contract was awarded to Weston & Sampson and is structured to evaluate all drinking water and wastewater assets (both horizontal and vertical infrastructure) for vulnerabilities to natural disaster or climate related events. There is a deeper emphasis placed on critical systems and components that, if compromised, would be detrimental to operations.  

Currently, the initial site assessments have been completed for four of the nine communities. The site assessment includes sitting down with utility staff to discuss areas of concern, past experiences with natural disaster events, system design specifics, and eyes-on site visits of vertical infrastructure and any visible horizontal infrastructure. Common concerns that have been raised by utility staff thus far have ranged from inland flooding impacting structures and subgrade systems, groundwater supply concerns during drought, availability of backup water source options, slope stability and landslide concerns for hillside mains, stormwater inflow and intrusion, emergency power generation, and extreme heat impacting biological processes for wastewater treatment.  

The final reports from the CCVA consultant will include information such as a summary of specific vulnerabilities identified, recommended areas of incorporation to other plans, suggested mitigation methods, vulnerability timelines utilizing future projections, any additional studies or reports required, specific standard operating procedure and/or training updates, and a compatible mapping tool capturing vulnerabilities that were identified.  

Final CCVA reports will also outline methodologies for incorporating the vulnerabilities and any associated ratings into asset management plans as well as emergency management or community hazard mitigation plans. The overall goal is for the assessments to supplement municipal planning efforts and further inform decision-making on prioritizing and funding projects. NHDES will support utility staff with this process through existing NHDES asset management, energy efficiency programs and funding opportunities. Also, through the Resilience and Adaptation Program, NHDES will provide assistance with additional resilience and adaptation specific guidance, design strategies, and other potential funding resources.  

For more information or if you have any questions, please contact: Ethan Widrick at ethan.r.widrick@des.nh.gov for Resilience and Adaptation or Luis Adorno at luis.s.adorno@des.nh.gov for Asset Management and Energy Audits.