M.Cubed, A&N Technical Services, and the Alliance for Water Efficiency are developing two new tools:
1. A California WUE Standards Compliance Tool (CalWEP Tool)
2. An updated California-specific version of the AWE Water Conservation Tracking Tool (AWE Tool)
The CalWEP Tool would be used to determine compliance with the new upcoming State Urban Water Use Standards and would be a work in progress as the standards are being finalized. The AWE Tool would be used to attain or ensure compliance through planned design of intentional water use efficiency programs. It is an Excel-based planning model that water suppliers can use to evaluate the water savings, costs, and benefits of conservation (WUE) programs. Using information entered into the Tracking Tool from a utility’s system, it provides a standardized methodology for water savings and benefit-cost accounting and includes a library of pre-defined conservation activities from which users can build conservation programs. Members of CalWEP and AWE would have access to both tools.
The Tracking Tool is used widely across the nation, and many utilities in California rely on it for conservation planning. Different versions of the Tracking Tool have been developed for unique state regulatory environments. Helping water utilities plan for compliance with regulatory changes is one of the main purposes of the Tracking Tool.
Curious about the tools? Read the Conservation Tracking Tool proposal here.
