Globally, warming temperatures and rising sea levels along coastal communities are making severe flooding far more likely. This reality is prompting low-lying wastewater utilities in riverine and coastal floodplains to plan for adaptation to avoid catastrophe. The New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (Lowell, Mass.) reports sea levels rose globally by an average of 1.8 mm (0.07 in.) per year during the 20th century - that rate is faster than the preceding eight centuries. Between 1993 and 2003 alone, the rate almost doubled to 3.4 mm (0.13 in.) per year. By the year 2100, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expects the average elevation of the world's oceans to rise as high as 2.5 m (8.2 ft), according to predictions released this year.
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