SLC Climate and Water – The U Water Center

Salt Lake City is facing significant population growth, urban landscape changes and climate variability. This presents unique challenges for urban water system planning and management. The University of Utah has been working closely with the Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities on potential impacts to the City’s water supply and stormwater drainage systems due to climate change. The goal of the project is to reduce and eliminate vulnerabilities of the City’s water and stormwater systems by characterizing scientific basis of the systems, analyzing alternatives and developing resilient and robust solutions.

Project Objectives

Provide Climate Projections. Analyze, deliver, and describe ensemble of climate projections covering the range of plausible patterns for use in driving water system simulation models.
Identify Climate Vulnerability Indicators. Compile and process water-related data to (a) characterize climate, hydrologic and water demand variables for potential use as climate vulnerability indicators and (b) calibrate, validate, and drive climate projections, near-term forecasts, water system simulations.
Identify Potential Climate Vulnerability Solutions. Update a system dynamics model of the City’s integrated urban water system to represent important aspects of the infrastructure, demand, and operations, and execute simulations to assess climate vulnerabilities and analyze potential solutions over a range of future scenarios.

Current Research Priorities

Investigate effects of Atlantic-driven atmospheric wave on future hydroclimate using climate models which skillfully capture multiyear precipitation sequences
Quantify impacts of sequential wet years, dry years, and warm years on surface water supply projections in a comprehensive predictive model
Determine vulnerabilities of drinking water system to multiple dry years and develop adaptation measures to mitigate effects via sensitivity experiments with the system model