The earth’s climate is changing. Centuries of historical climate patterns are shifting in predictable and unpredictable ways. For thousands of years, human civilizations have altered the landscape to harness water resources for human needs—drinking water, agricultural irrigation, flood control, and a myriad of other uses. This existing infrastructure has been constructed with specific climate patterns and uses in mind.  Climate patterns, largely stable for generations, have been changing at a much more rapid pace than historical precedent might suggest. These changes have, in turn, created new pressures on the built environment, water infrastructure and governance systems.

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