Incorporating Equity and Social Dimension Into Community Climate Adaptation Planning and Watershed Management

Legacies of disinvestment and discriminatory policies have led to climate change disproportionately affecting communities of color and low-income communities, with barriers to participation in climate adaptation planning and programs exacerbating the issue. Equity-oriented climate-related water resources management and planning must consider both who is impacted by the problem and the solutions, as well as how well they are included in decision making and implementation processes. However, doing so requires a new paradigm, and many water managers lack tools to incorporate social dimensions and equity into their planning and management decisions. Effective guidance is needed to support utilities in selecting appropriate goals, activities, and measures related to their efforts to embed equity considerations in holistic watershed management in a way that is evidence-based, action-oriented, and relevant to their community context.

This project is aimed at enhancing the capacity of water utilities and water resources practitioners to meaningfully integrate equity into watershed planning and management. To achieve this objective, the research team synthesized findings from a range of inputs: recent peer-reviewed research, report, and case studies (described in this literature review); real-world experience among utilities (gathered through consultations and a national survey); and workshop discussions with water resources practitioners and experts. The outcome of this work is an action-oriented guidebook—featuring case studies, measures, and metrics— for water utilities and watershed management organizations who seek to integrate equity and social dimensions into community climate adaptation planning and holistic water resources management.

The goal of the literature review was to identify what best practices and approaches to integrating equity considerations into water management are widely recommended and/or have shown promise among case studies. The research team also aimed to identify gaps in existing literature that could be filled through the upcoming practitioner interviews and survey.