Climate Change and the CWA 303(d) Program

In 2021 and 2022, the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) hosted three workshops that, at least in part, addressed how states, territories, and tribes have considered and could consider climate change in the listing/reporting of waters that do not meet water quality standards, the development and implementation of water quality restoration and protection plans, and related activities and products. This document is a brief summary of the practices and ideas conveyed in those forums. Most of the information included here originated from registration responses and in-session discussions of state, territorial, and tribal staff as part of the 2021 National CWA 303(d) and Data Management Training Workshop, as well as presentations and discussions in the Climate Change and the CWA 303(d) Program: Opportunities for Progress workshop and 2022 National Training Workshop on Water Quality Data, Assessment, and Plans, each of which was convened by ELI through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Follow-up conversations and independent literature reviews by ELI staff supplement that material.