The value of natural infrastructure.
In order to avoid risk and damage, and to build resilience to these disasters, natural infrastructure solutions are increasingly being considered and implemented.
Rain gardens capture rainwater in a depression in the ground, and prevent flash floods and erosion in streams by slowing down storm water.
NI solutions include constructed wetlands that are used for industrial processed water and waste-water treatment, substituting traditional waste-water treatment infrastructure.
Natural infrastructures offer numerous benefits to society.
Natural infrastructure can help avoid water pollution that would otherwise need to pass through a conventional water treatment plant, thus reducing costs.
Many cities have a water fund focused on NI solutions that has resulted in significant savings every year by reducing water treatment costs.
NI solutions often require less initial capital investment and reduced operations and maintenance costs.
These collaborations will be necessary to create synergetic approaches, reporting mechanisms and tools that are compatible for assessing progress toward sustainable development across all sectors and regions.
There is a need to strength informational cooperation between cities or countries across both the developed and developing worlds.

In the face of the Southern California’s semi-arid Mediterranean climate, compounded by several years of drought throughout the state, the region has developed local resilience through state-of-the-art groundwater management.
Paving the way for a more resilient water system, authorities in northern and central Orange County have partnered to develop imaginative approaches to reducing dependence on imported water.
There are two key features of OCWD’s multifaceted strategy to efficiently use every drop: wastewater reuse and groundwater basin governance.
Wastewater reuse Boasting the largest planned indirect potable reuse system in the world, OCWD’s Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) captures and reuses recycled water that has been treated to exceed federal and state drinking water standards.
The Orange Country Sanitation District (OCSD) served as a key partner in helping Orange County fund the System instead of building a second ocean disposal pipeline.
Groundwater basin governance The creative case of pursuing water sustainability in Orange County may serve as an example of an integrated water paradigm that presents tools and guidance to other urban centers, particularly including cities in developing countries.
OCWD’s focus on groundwater basin governance through a diversified recharge strategy not only protects the quality of water in the aquifer from seawater intrusion, but also increases the storage capacity of the basin over time.
Orange County is sharing successful strategies, technologies, and approaches to water resilience with developing countries through the Water Scarce Cities Initiative.
WSC is documenting cases, such as that of Orange County, and sharing the successes and challenges of with cities in water scarce regions in the global South.
[1] Refers to projects that will use reclaimed wastewater and inject it, through wells drilled along the coastline, to create an underground barrier against seawater intrusion into the fresh groundwater aquifer.

A tiny habitation of Sirivellapalem near the Manginapudi beach alone transports more than 100 20-litre water cans from the district headquarters of Machilipatnam every day.
Ironically, the authorities are releasing water once in three days, forcing us to survive with a pot of water per day.
We are left with no option but to draw groundwater on the coast,” Sirivella Kotayya told The Hindu.
In a stretch of five km of the coastline, Sirivellapalem, Chinnapalem, Maridibba, Gokavaram, Peddareddy and Chinna Reddy Palem hamlets, Vadarevupalem, Baduguvaripalem, Kothreddypalem, Pathareddy palem and Manginapudi were the most affected from water scarcity due to the extreme weather conditions.
“Many villagers leak the water from the drinking water pipeline to divert it into a puddle for cattle.
We are unable to stop the act despite we are aware of it as cattle too need the water,” said S. Suresh, a resident of a beach front village.
One has to keep an eye on the public tap.
There is no such facility in our knowledge till date in the summer,” added Mr. Kotayya.
“We strive to draw every drop of water from the mysterious well, in which sweet water recharges every day.
It’s a good source to fetch a few pots of water from the well for the two habitations; Sirivellapaleam and Manginapudi,” says P. Vakalamma, a girl from Reddipalem.

In science news this week: Follow the flow: The state of the San Lorenzo River; Ancient groundwater may not be as clean as once thought; Research suggests climate change likely to cause significant shift in Colorado River vegetation; Mystery of the missing mercury at the Great Salt Lake; Rising water temperatures endanger health of coastal ecosystems, study finds; and Trillions of plastic bits, swept up by the current, are littering arctic waters Follow the flow: The state of the San Lorenzo River: “Flow has long shaped the relationship between Santa Cruz, California, and the San Lorenzo River, which runs through the city. The memorable “Christmas Flood” of 1955 sent 10 feet of water surging through downtown Santa Cruz, and prompted the construction of flood control levees that channelized the river. A spate of heavy winter storms earlier this year put San Lorenzo River flow back on people’s minds, with February flows hitting levels nearly 30 times greater than the long-term average. Fittingly, flow was also the focus of this year’s State of the San Lorenzo River symposium, which FISHBIO’s Santa Cruz staff attended earlier this year. The series of talks highlighted where the San Lorenzo River’s water comes from, the influences of flow on fish, and challenges in the watershed. … ” Read more from FishBio here: Follow the flow: The state of the San Lorenzo River Ancient groundwater may not be as clean as once thought: “Most of the groundwater that is accessible by deep wells is old, but still vulnerable to modern contamination, reports a study published today in Nature Geoscience by researchers from University of Calgary, Stanford, and other institutions. The world’s groundwater provides drinking water and irrigation for billions of people around the world. Some of this groundwater is young and easily affected by pollution and changes in climate. But much more is old groundwater that has been stored beneath the Earth’s surface for thousands of years. Old groundwater is more difficult to…

State providing funds for coastal projects.
SALEM, Mass.
(WWLP) – The state is awarding $2.6-million through two grant programs for coastal projects that promote climate change resilience or improve coastal water quality.
Municipalities and eligible non-profit organizations can apply for grants awarded through the Coastal Resiliency Grant Program and Coastal Pollutant Remediation Grant Program, both administered by the Office of Coastal Zone Management.
The Coastal Resilience Grant Program provides funding to 78 coastal communities to help reduce risks associated with coastal storms, flooding, erosion and sea level rise.
Coastal Pollutant Remediation (CPR) Grant Program allocates money to municipalities within the Massachusetts Coastal Watersheds, which includes 220 cities and towns in eastern Massachusetts.
Learn more about the Coastal Resilience Grant Program.
Learn more about the Coastal Pollutant Remediation Grant Program.
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Final meeting set for proposed Coastal Resilience Plan in West Haven.
WEST HAVEN >> The third and final meeting to seek public input for development of the city’s Community Coastal Resilience Plan will take place Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Harriet C. North Community Room on the second floor of City Hall, 355 Main St. At the first meeting in July, residents and business owners discussed the types of coastal hazards West Haven will face in the future, said David W. Killeen, assistant city planner, in a release.
During the second meeting in February, those attending learned about the available methods to adapt to the city’s changing coastal environment in order to become more resilient to tidal flooding, storm surge, sea level rise and erosion, Killeen said.
At this week’s final meeting, officials from the city and its engineering consultant, Milone & MacBroom Inc. of Cheshire, will review and discuss the draft Coastal Resilience Plan, including recommendations to mitigate long-term coastal risks.
The draft, along with presentation slides and notes from previous meetings, is available to view by going to www.cityofwesthaven.com/307/Current-Planning-Initiatives and scrolling down to the “Community Coastal Resilience Plan” section.
Anyone with questions about the draft plan or public informational meeting can contact Killeen at dkilleen@westhaven-ct.gov or 203-937-3500, ext.
The coastal resiliency plan is one of a number of such plans being prepared throughout the area in the wake of the damage wrought by Tropical Storm Irene and Superstorm Sandy in 2011 and 2012, respectively.
One major goal will be looking at ways to protect the water pollution control plant at Sandy Point and the various pump stations along the shore, Killeen has said.
The plan and the study are funded with $278,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funds through the state Department of Housing, city grants writer Eileen Krugel has said.
The grant includes $178,000 for the outfall pipe study and $100,000 for the coastal resiliency plan, she said.

As coastal ecosystems feel the heat of climate change worldwide, new research shows the humble mussel and marsh grass form an intimate interaction known as mutualism that benefits both partner species and may be critical to helping these ecosystems bounce back from extreme climatic events such as drought.
The study, led by the University of Florida, finds that when mussels pile up in mounds around the grass stems, they provide protection by improving water storage around the grass roots and reducing soil salinity.
Mussels protect grasses from drought by improving water storage around the grass roots and reducing soil salinity.
With mussels’ help, the study found, marshes can recover from drought in less than a decade.
"It’s a story of mutual benefit between marsh grass and mussels," said Christine Angelini, an assistant professor of environmental engineering sciences in UF’s Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and lead author on the paper.
They found that wherever there were clusters of mussels embedded in the mud around the base of the grass stems, the grass survived; in fact, grass growing in mussel clusters had a 64 percent probability of surviving versus a 1 percent probability in areas where there were no mussels.
One of the research team’s marsh study sites was in the backyard of Dale Aren of Charleston, South Carolina.
After noticing the marsh behind her home was dying, she did some online research and found a paper about that very problem written by Angelini’s colleague, Brian Silliman, an assistant professor of biology at UF and a co-author on Angelini’s paper.
"We were worried," Aren said.
"The Spartina [grass] is beautiful and the increasing area of mudflats were very unattractive and did not look healthy."