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Climate Change Assessment for Water Resources Region 03 South Atlantic -Gulf 4. Business Line Vulnerabilities The South Atlantic -Gulf Region encompasses a vast area in the south /southeastern region of the United States, including the coasts from Southern Virginia to Mississippi. The projected changes in climate conditions within the entire South Atlantic -Gulf Region Region may influence future USACE planning, engineering and operational activities as well as those of other users of lands and waters within these river basins. Unlike other HUCs, the inland waterways begin and end within the South Atlantic -Gulf Region, making the climatic conditions beyond this HUC less important. USACE recognizes the potential impacts of future climate considering the exposure and dependency of many of its projects on the natural environment. To assess the potential vulnerabilities that climate change may pose on USACE's missions, a set of primary USACE business lines were identified. They include: • Navigation • Flood Risk Management • Water Supply • Ecosystem Restoration • Hydropower • Recreation • Emergency Management • Regulatory • Military Programs Navigation is one of the primary missions of USACE in the South Atlantic -Gulf Region and the 25 major harbors and 6,300 miles of inland waterways and ports are essential for the regional and national economy. These waterways are not influenced by tides, thus rely on dredging efforts to maintain appropriate depths. The expected increases in air temperatures, especially in the summer, may impede USACE's ability to maintain the approved navigation depths on these waterways. Flood risk management projects in the region include structural projects which regulate the flows in many of the river basins to avoid flooding. Uncertainty exists with regard to impacts of climate change on flood -risk management needs due to the lack of consensus for future precipitation patterns. However, flood risk management projects may be very important for reducing the residual flooding impacts due to extreme storm events, which are predicted to be more frequent and intense. USACE also maintains and operates several fresh water supplies for aquifer replenishment for agricultural uses. Managing competing water needs can be a challenge, especially when water demand is high and water supply is low. While this report does not highlight the impacts of sea level change, changes in coastal conditions can have impacts which penetrate to inland water bodies. Sea levels along the southeastern coastline of the United States are projected to increase and may exacerbate salt water intrusion into freshwater water supply. Tools and information related to sea level change can be found on the USACE Responses to Climate Change website (USAGE, 2014). Water supplies may also be strained due to increased temperatures and heat waves in the summer months. These conditions lead to increase ET, lowering surface water and groundwater supplies. Maintaining necessary flows for competing sources such as hydropower USACE Institute for Water Resources 37 January 9, 2015