EPA's Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool (CREAT

EPA’s Climate Resilience

Evaluation and

Awareness Tool (CREAT):

A Case Study

SouthMonmouthRegional

Sewer ageAuthority (SMRSA)

 Serves9Townships

 9.1MGDWastewaterTreatmentPlant

 11pumpstations

 11.8milesofForcemain

South

Monmouth

Regional

Sewerage

Authority

Monmouth

County, New

Jersey

SMRSA’sCost of

RehabilitationAfter:

2009Nor'easter: $1.8M

2011Hurricane: $2.5M

2012SuperStormSandy:

$11.5M

Areyoureadyforclimatechange?

Belmar, NJ after Super Storm Sandy

Triplepundit.com

CREAT:ClimateResilienceEvaluation

andAwarenessTool

UsesofCREAT:

 Developedspecificallyforwater andwastewat erutilities.

 Identifiespotentialclimatechangethreatsautility’sassets.

 Performsbaselineassessmentoftheutility’scurrentresilience to 

thesethreats.

 Designsstrategiesto buildadditionalresiliencytoprojected

climatechanges.

 Helpsutilitiesidentifyeffectiveriskreductionstrategiesand

associatedcapitalcosts.

ProjectedClimateChange

Challenges

NORTHEAST

 Warmerdays

(Temperaturesabove90⁰F)

 Severefloodingdueto

 Sealevelrise

 Heavyrainevents

 CoastalStormSurges

MIDWEST

 More extremeheat

 Extremeprecipitation

 Flooding

 Droughts

 Lowerlevelsinriversand

GreatLakes

Source:

CREAT/EPA

Step1:AssetSelection

Two(2)AssetswereselectedforanalysisinCREAT:

BelmarPumpStation–Locatedinfloodzone;Receivedstructuraldamagefrom

Sandy

16”DIPForceMain‐ 6ftabovesealevel;Erosionconcernsfromfuturestormsurges

Belmar Pump Station

(EL 15 ft)

16” DIP Force Main

Step 2: Climate-related

Threat Identification

CREATidentifiedthree

majorthreatstoBelmar

PumpStationandforc e

mainsystem:

 Beacherosionimpact

onstation’sforce

main

 Coastalstormsurges

 Intense&frequent

stormevents

Asset‐ThreatPairs

• Theassetsandthreatsarelinkedintopairs.

• AllCREATidentifiedthreatsarenotapplicableto everyasset.

RiskAssessmentEvaluation

•Eachasset‐threatpairwasanalyzedfor

2futureclimatescenarios (using

CREATprovideddata):

HotandDry

WarmandWet

•Eachasset‐threatpairwasanalyzedfor

2timeperiods:

Mid‐ century(2021‐2050),

representedbytheyear2035

Latecentury(2046‐2075),

representedbytheyear2060

Multiplescenarios()withinthe

distributionofclimatemodelprojections

()foragivenlocation.

IncreasingPrecipitation

IncreasingTemperature

Selectedscenarios

Step3:Baseline:

ExistingAdaptiveMeasures

 CurrentprotectivemeasurestakenatBelmarPump

Station:

• FollowEmergencyResponsePlanfor Flooding

Updatedevery2years

• Constructtemporaryfloodbarriers

Useofsandbags

Installationofplywoodondoorsandwindow

• InitiateWastewaterBypassPumpingSystem

Directwastewaterflowtofor cemainwiththeuseofaportable

pump

 ExistingProtectiveMeasuresforBelmarPSForce

Main:

 Currently,therearenomeasuresinplaceto protectthe

forc emainagainsterosion.

Step3:Baseline:

ExistingAdaptiveMeasures

BaselineAnalysis

CREATprovidedClimateData

BaselineAnalysis

• Analyzeeachpreviouslyidentifiedthreat‐assetpairsfor

alltimeperiodsandclimatescenarios

TimePeriods:Mid‐century,Latecentury

Climatescenarios:Hot&Dry,Wet&Warm

Atotalof12assessmentswereconductedinthecasestudy

Step4:ResilienceAdaptiveMeasures‐

BelmarPumpStationBuilding

 Future actionsSMRSAisconsideringto protectthe

pumpstationagainstclimaterelatedthreats:

 4ftFloodDoorsattheexistingBelmarPumpStation

(estimatedcost $12,500)

 RelocateBelmarPumpStationoutsideoffloodzone.

(estimatedcost $4.4M)

 Amobileenclosurethatprotectscriticalpumpstation

components.(estimatedcost$1.9M)

SeaGirtPumpStationhasamobileenclosurethathousescritical electricaland

emergenc ypowergenerationequipmentthatcanberelocatedto areasthatarenot

floodpronebeforeanimpendingstorm.

PumpStation MobileEnclosure

ResilienceAdaptiveMeasures:

BelmarForceMain

 Future actionsSMRSAisconsideringto protectthe

forc emainagainstclimaterelatedthreats:

 Sheetpilesinthelocationoftheexistingforc emainto

protectfromerosion(estimatedcost$3Mil)

 Installnewforc emaininalocationfurtherinlandand

outoftheflood/erosionzone(estimatedcost$6.6Mil)

ResilienceAnalysis

RiskReduction Calculation

 CREATcalculatesriskreductionbasedonthedifferencebetween

consequencelevelsbetweenbaselineconditionsandresilienc e 

analyses.

 Output:

 RiskReductionUnits(RRUs)

 RiskReductionperadaptivemeasure

 RiskReductionperdollar

 Theadaptivemeasurescanbeselectedtocreateaplanning

packagethatcanbeorganizedby riskreductionorcost.

Step5:AdaptationPlanning:

Package#1Mostcostly

Adaptive

Measures

Capital

Cost

Annualized

Capital

Cost**

Risk

Reduction

Units

2035

Risk

Reduction

Units

2060

Total

RRUs

Annual-

ized

$/RRU

Relocate

Belmar

Pump

Station

$4,400,000 $295,749 46.8 57.8 104.5 $ 2,830

Relocate &

install new

force main

$6,600,000 $433,324 0 44.0 44.0 $10,082

Total Risk Reduction Units for Package 1: 148.5 RRUs

**Annualized Capital Cost is calculated over 20 years, with a 3% interest rate

AdaptationPlanning: 

Package#2:MediumCost

Adaptive

Measures

Capital

Cost

Annualized

Capital Cost**

Risk

Reduction

Units

2035

Risk

Reduction

Units

2060

Total

RRUs Annualized

$/RRU

Mobile

enclosure $1,900,000 $127,710 46.8 57.8 104.5 $1,222.10

Relocate &

install new

force main

$6,600,000 $433,324 0 44.0 44.0 $10,082.36

Total Risk Reduction Units for Package 2: 148.5 RRUs

**Annualized Capital Cost is calculated over 20 years, with a 3% interest rate

AdaptationPlanning:

Package#3:LeastCostly

Adaptive

Measures

Capital

Cost

Annualized

Capital

Cost**

Risk

Reduction

Units

2035

Risk

Reduction

Units

2060

Total

RRUs

Annual-

ized

$/RRU

Flood doors

for existing

Belmar

pump

station

$12,500 $840 26.5 14.5 41.0 $20.49

Sheet piling

for existing

force main

$3,000,000 $201,647 0 11.0 11 $18,332

Total Risk Reduction Units for Package 3: 52 RRUs

**Annualized Capital Cost is calculated over 20 years, with a 3% interest rate

RiskReductionUnitsby

AdaptationPackage

Package 1

Package 2

Package 3

$11 M $8.5 M $3.0 M

$11 M $8.5 M

$3 M

OutcomesforSMSRA

 A CREAT generated report served as tool to communicate results to

stakeholders and the community.

 Software assisted SMRSA in a regional planning effort by assisting

the Authority in prioritizing their options.

 The pump station mobile enclosure strategy was the first ever

recipient of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)’s

“Least Cost Alternative Project” award.

Thank You

RinaN.Dalal,rdalal@tandmassociates.com