Evaluation of the National Water Program Climate Change Adaptation Strategy

The National Water Program Strategy: Response to Climate Change was first published in 2008. OW created one of the first climate change strategies in the Agency, and is considered a model for other emerging efforts within the federal government. The 2008 Strategy describes the likely effects that climate change will have on water resources and implications for EPA's Office of Water (OW) and the National Water Program (NWP). In 2012, OW developed an updated strategy that describes NWP's long- term goals for sustainably managing water resources in light of climate change. It is intended as a roadmap to guide future program work and inform the Agency's annual planning process. In late 2012, OW's Immediate Office (IO), which is responsible for coordinating OW climate change work, requested support from EPA's Evaluation Support Division (ESD) to conduct a retrospective evaluation of lessons from the 2008 Strategy, and to develop a prospective measurement framework to track the progress on the 2012 Strategy. Industrial Economics, Incorporated (IEc) and its subcontractor Ross Strategic, henceforth referred to as the evaluation team, carried out the study. This report presents the results of these coordinated efforts.