Climate change impacts and its effect on cold weather storm water management
Climate change impacts have been causing noticeable changes in weather patterns which lead to a need to adapt wet weather management. Two components of this research were conducted: a climatology analysis and a literature review. The climatology data for each city was obtained from NOAA and processed using R Studio. Through this ongoing research it was found that daily weather patterns, specifically snowfall have changed from 1950-2021 resulting in a positive trend for the Mann Kendall Test. These cities were chosen based on population density and those that experience snowfall in the winter time. Based on those criteria, 19 cities were chosen throughout the contiguous United States. . From the literature review, it was found that increasing snowfall and cold climate storms has led to a need to adapt wet weather management and excess runoff. Increased road salt due to road deicing has led to higher lake salinity urging the need for alternative methods. Through the literature review, some BMPs have worked more efficiently than others in colder climates. This research revealed that many cities are facing colder weather due to climate change impacts, prompting the necessity to adapt wet weather management strategies to accommodate these changes. Future work will focus on developing a comprehensive guidance document tailored to stormwater utilities, offering insights into the most effective approaches for wet weather management in colder climates.