Groundwater resources and their long-term replenishment are controlled by long term climate conditions. Climate change will therefore have a great impact on groundwater resources. Groundwater has to be used and managed in a sustainable way in order to maintain its buffer and contingency supply capabilities as well as adequate water quality for human consumption, also under predicted climate changes. Land use planning has to consider groundwater resources as a precious and finite resource, and take all possible measures to protect groundwater resources and their recharge mechanisms in the long run. The weight of current evidence suggests that climate change is occurring and will continue to occur in the foreseeable future. The rate and intensity of change is not immediately known; however the impacts can already be observed in changes to the quality of drinking water utility source waters. Climate change models, in general, predict an overall warming of the earth. The warmer temperatures associated with climate change are predicted to decrease dissolved oxygen levels, increase contaminant load to water bodies, reduce stream and river flows, foster algal blooms, and increase the likelihood of saltwater intrusion near coastal regions. Climate change impacts to water quality are occurring over a very dynamic range. All of this climate change impacts a role on water quality and have implications for water, wastewater, and storm water utilities. The need is pressing for utilities to address changing water qualities, and this will require fundamental changes in utility operations. This paper gives information concerning the impacts of climate change on water resources, and particularly groundwater. It provides an overview of the current insights and knowledge on possible impacts and associated technical and management challenges due to climate change.
