Data and Decision-Making Tools
Maps of areas vulnerable to sea level rise, storm surge, flooding and habitat migration corridors (e.g., wetland adaptation areas) can be used to identify vulnerable water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, as well as communities and habitats vulnerable to climate change impacts.
Although at this time the state cannot provide tools or models to assist local governments in determining exactly how, when or where water, wastewater or stormwater will be impacted by climate change, the WRE should include strategies now to recognize, plan for, and respond to the possible constraints on water availability and wastewater discharge, as well as impacts to water and wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure, that could occur due to climate change. The WRE also should include strategies to recognize and respond to changes in stormwater runoff (both quantity and quality) due to climate change.
Over time, the state will work to increase its capacity to provide more technical guidance and modeling regarding the potential impacts from extreme events including impacts to temperature and the hydrologic regime, as well as possible changes to pollutant impacts due to climate change.
Additional data and decision-making tools to consider include:
- MD's Sea Level Rise (SLR) Projection (2018 Report) states that there is 66% chance of a 0.8-1.6 ft SLR in MD between 2000 and 2050. This is roughly equivalent to current comprehensive plan time horizons.
- 0-2 ft SLR iMap layer - this can be used as a guide to identify potential SLR vulnerabilities between now and 2050, as supplemented with data from local plans and studies and any operational data.
- 100-year floodplains and Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMS) - mdfloodmaps.net
- Coast Smart-Climate Ready Action Boundary for Coastal Areas - data.imap.maryland.gov/datasets/4485c0431b6640a4becd061591d989df
- Maryland Department of Transportation Climate Change Vulnerability Viewer - arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=86b5933d2d3e45ee8b9d8a5f03a7030c
- DNR’s Coastal Atlas - for data on storm surge, sea level rise vulnerability, sea level rise vulnerable wetlands, and sea level rise wetland adaptation areas - https://dnr.geodata.md.gov/CoastalAtlas/
- DNR's Ecosystem Service: Assigns a dollar range on resource lands for their ability to perform carbon sequestration, nitrogen removal, stormwater mitigation and flood prevention, wildlife habitat and biodiversity, air pollutant removal, groundwater recharge, and surface water protection - dnr.maryland.gov/ccs/Pages/Ecosystem-Services.aspx
- MDE’s Water Reuse Initiative website provides resources regarding goal setting, evaluating progress, general information, reuse guidelines, financial and technical resources, strategic partnerships, and links to relevant laws, regulations, guidelines, publications, grants, and loans.
- DNR’s Maryland Geological Survey and MDE Water and Science Administration can provide expert guidance on possible future impacts of climate change to drinking water resources.
- Source water protection areas can be found within MDE’s Water Supply Program’s Source Protection Assessments.
- Maryland Water Resources Registry. Provides assessments for areas suitable for stormwater restoration and natural areas suitable for preservation because of their stormwater treatment benefits.
- U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit for the Northeast
