Climate Change: Preparing (or not!) (or not enough!) for Water

By Ann Kreilkamp | June 29, 2015

As near-daily rain storms continue to flop down on this part of the midwest, our little two-home urban farmstead’s half-constructed designs for how to hold and recirculate excess water feel increasingly inadequate. The pond (which three down spouts drain into) backs up towards the DeKist house. The rain seeps downhill from the neighbor to the north. The soil, utterly saturated, can’t hold any extra moisture. It seeps into Overhill house basement at several points, seeps under the DeKist house, which wasn’t built high enough off the ground. Fans going everywhere, feel futile. The larger gutters and drain pipes don’t help, because, thanks to all the rain, it’s become obvious that we need at least one more drain pipe. On and on.

Multiply that by millions, scale it up and down.

Realize: we’re all in this, WHATEVER this is, together.

This morning, between storms, water going into east end of pond has receded only somewhat. Another storm expected in about an hour.

Overflow at west end of pond has drained between storms to the point where the picnic table area no longer inundated.

Ready or Not: How water-ready is your state or city?

nrdc.org

Excerpt:

Across the U.S., the impacts of climate change on water resources are already being seen. Warmer temperatures, changes in rainfall and snowfall patterns, and rising sea levels are beginning to affect our communities and natural resources.

As carbon pollution continues to change our climate, these wide-ranging impacts will only grow worse, threatening our nation’s cities, towns, and neighborhoods.