AWWA WQTC69350

Climate change is an important and well-studied phenomenon, and historical data tracking changes in weather and climate are readily available. Climate change could induce shifts in mean values for weather variables and/or cause new patterns in climate variability, both of which could cause impacts on water demands, supplies, and source water quality. Water suppliers are beginning to consider the potential impacts of climate change on future water supplies. However, the focus of past work has been on water quantity impacts (e.g., flooding and droughts) rather than on changes in water quality. This paper focuses on how climate change could affect source water quality parameters that influence taste and odors. Examples from the author's work with Lake Cachuma, near Goleta, California, are discussed. That study indicated that under warming climate scenarios, the likelihood of conditions related to taste and odor events during the dry season would increase. Under some circumstances, dry season water quality, related to taste and odor, could be forecast from wet season hydroclimate (air temperature related parameters) using probability relationships. Includes 2 references, tables, figure.