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U.S. GIoball CI °Harm^ Resean,::h lPirogirarn 50 year to capture apotential flood. Devel- oped by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers based on historical flood data, many of these rule curves have never been modified, and modifications might require Environmental Impact Statements .151 Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States In most parts of the West, water is allocated based on a "first in time means first in right" system, and because agriculture was developed before cities were established, large volumes of water typically are allocated to agriculture. Transferring agricultural rights to municipali- ties, even for short periods during drought, can involve substantial expense and time IMand can be socially divisive. Heavy downpours increase incidence of waterborne dis- Human Health ease and floods, resulting in potential hazards to human life and health.1 ' Hydropower production is reduced due to low flows in Energy Supply some regions. Power generation is reduced in fossil fuel and Use and nuclear plants due to increased water temperatures and reduced cooling water availability.191 Floods and droughts disrupt transportation. Heavy down - Transportation pours affect harbor infrastructure and inland waterways. Declining Great Lakes levels reduce freight capacity.1' Agriculture and Intense precipitation can delay spring planting and damage Forests crops. Earlier spring snowmelt leads to increased number of forest fires.1 ' Ecosystems Coldwater fish threatened by rising water temperatures Some warmwater fish will expand ranges. Conserving water does not neces- sarily lead to a right to that saved water, thus creating a disincentive for conservation. Total U.S. water diversions peaked in the 1980s, which implies that expand- ing supplies in many areas to meet new needs are unlikely to be a viable option, especially in and areas likely to experi- ence less precipitation. However, over the last 30 years, per capita water use has decreased significantly (due, for example, to more efficient technologies such as drip irrigation) and it is antici- pated that per capita use will continue to decrease, thus easing stress .149 of Environmental Protection (DEP), the Irinking water and wastewater treatment, is beginning to altei e effects of climate change — sea -level rise, higher temperatur changing precipitation patterns — on the city's water systems DEP is evaluating climate change projections, impacts, indica !eies. begun to address these issues by defining risks using probabilistic tential adaptations that relate to operations /management, infrasti is examining the feasibility of relocating critical control systems t< or to higher ground, building flood walls, and modifying design cr processes. Is of the overall effort include updating the existing !ctions and identifying additional monitoring station system for reporting the impacts of extreme weath the immediate future, DEP will eval control plants that are scheduled ,f