The California-specific Tool is used to determine compliance with the new upcoming State Urban Water Use Standards and are a work in progress as the standards are being finalized. The AWE Tool is 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 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.
