This week’s question from the Georgia Climate Project’s Roadmap deals with how to quantify water availability for planning purposes. First we need to effectively capture the current amount of water available and then we need to figure out how to report it efficiently and put it to use to make plans for how water resources will be impacted in the future as the climate gets warmer. To do this we need to conduct more research to identify the best sources of this information as well as how to communicate it to local governments and state agencies. You can read all the GCP questions at https://roadmap.georgiaclimateproject.org/.
22. What are the most effective data capture and reporting mechanisms for assembling a statewide comprehensive dataset to inform water planning in the context of climate change?
Why this question is important: Comprehensive data and uniform reporting mechanisms are needed to develop an understanding of water supply and use, create early warning systems, and develop better management strategies in the context of climate change. There is, however, no statewide system that allows for local water resource managers to provide regular reporting. To maintain this kind of data repository, long-term commitments for regular data entry would need to occur at the local level. These data and their reporting mechanisms should derive from various sectors including municipal, industrial, energy, agriculture and other sources. For greatest benefit, the system would need capabilities to aid the end-user and the responsible manager. The creation of this system would provide near-term and long-term benefits for exploring the effects of climate change and climate variability on Georgia’s water resources.
