ISSUE

Water Policy

As populations grow and the climate changes, competition for water resources is increasing.

The Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability’s Water Policy Program is an interdisciplinary effort focused on utilizing data to inform effective policy changes in how water is understood and managed. These efforts span understanding to increase water-management flexibility for reservoirs under a changing climate and to develop market-based approaches for water allocation.

The program also partners annually to host the Aspen-Nicholas Water Forum, jointly convened by the Aspen Institute's Energy and Environment Program and Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability. The forum serves as a platform for addressing domestic water challenges in the 21st century—from the drought in California to the need for policy solutions that address water trading opportunities—and to develop forward-thinking pathways to improve our water system, including the Internet of Water Coalition.

Projects

Internet of Water Coalition

The water data infrastructure in the United States is antiquated and increasingly inadequate for 21st-century water challenges. Because of this, we are often unable to answer basic questions about our river basins and aquifers in a timely way.

Water Affordability

Water affordability and access challenges are growing in the United States as costs for providing these services rise for both utilities and their customers.

Aerial photo of John H. Kerr Dam and Reservoir

Reservoirs

The majority of United States reservoirs were constructed when climate was thought to be unchanging and past precipitation and temperatures were reliable for predicting future conditions. Because much of the United States relies on reservoirs for hydropower, water supply, and protection from floods, it is critical to rethink how to manage reservoirs in a changing world.

Chattanooga dam by pexels.com/@mike-stazio-1179532

Aspen-Nicholas Water Forum

The Aspen-Nicholas Water Forum, convened annually by the Aspen Institute’s Energy and Environment Program and Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability, serves as a platform for addressing domestic water challenges in the 21st century.

$Hydraulic fracturing, image credit iStock.com/grandriver$

Unconventional Oil and Gas Development

The rapid growth of unconventional oil and gas, also referred to as hydraulic fracturing, transformed the energy landscape. The Nicholas Institute partnered with several institutions to explore the effects of hydraulic fracturing on water resources and ecosystems.