Climate Resiliency through Restoration using New Water Paradigm Methods

The Challenge: 

Establishing a viable and systematic approach to measure the volume of stormwater runoff that can be captured to replenish aquifers and enhance climate resilience. Droughts, floods, erosion, heat domes, and crop failures are interconnected issues related to water, food, climate, and economics. Scaling up science-based methods across large areas presents challenges. 

Overview: 

Water is a common thread in climate change manifestation. Anthropological land use changes have transformed hydrology in various regions. Opportunities exist to integrate stormwater capture into water and climate management. It is important to consider rainwater as a valuable resource rather than something that is discarded. Conventional infrastructure drains rainwater excessively from agricultural, forested, and urban lands, wasting resources and threatening ecosystem stability and biodiversity. 

Solutions: 

Solution explores stakeholder-supported volumetric stormwater capture projects to deliver net positive water resource benefits, enhance climate resilience, and provide multiple co-benefits. This integration leads to financial returns and improved community satisfaction. A new water paradigm can help restore water resources on land. 

Case Study: In Slovakia, a new water paradigm approach has emerged over the last three decades, focusing on critical rainwater management. The authors discuss their experience in implementing past projects and their positive impact on the community, detailing the new Košice Region restoration plan in Slovakia. The new water paradigm approach attracted the attention of the UN Foresight Brief and UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and within the EU Climate-ADAPT framework.