ALLIANCE FOR WATER EFFICIENCY NFP
33 North LaSalle Street 2275, Chicago, IL 606023848 www.allianceforwaterefficiency.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: Alliance for Water Efficiency is dedicated to promoting the efficient and sustainable use of water.

2019 was the twelfth year for the Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE), and significant progress was made on a number of special projects and initiatives. 1.Numerous projects funded through grants and membership contributions were completed in 2019 and are as follows: (in no particular order)a.Walton Family Foundation Colorado River Basin Policy Outreach A grant from the Walton Family Foundation funded a closer look at the results of the 2017 AWE report, The Water Efficiency and Conservation State Scorecard: An Assessment of Laws, for the seven Colorado River Basin states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. It recognizes successes in water efficiency policies, and also identifies opportunities where laws and programs can be strengthened to advance the sustainable use of water in the Colorado River Basin. The report was published and released in 2019 and presented at the Water Smart Innovations conference in October, 2019.b.Texas Municipal Water Conservation Planning Tool In this Texas State Water Development Board project, a team hired by the board and led by AWE developed an Excel-based municipal water conservation planning tool to be made available for use by Texas-based utilities in the development of their 2019 water conservation plans. Completed in 2018, the final Tool was presented by AWE in April, 2019 at a Statewide Texas Water Conference. The presentation was given in conjunction with Texas Water Development Board staff.c.AWWA Water Conservation Division Annual Social As in prior years, AWE managed funds for the American Water Works Association Water Conservation Division Annual Social Event, which was held in June, 2019 in Denver, Colorado.d.Technical Assistance AWE staff fielded over 100 technical assistance requests on water efficiency issues from its members in 2019. Technical assistance remains a core function of AWE services, and an important benefit and connection to the membership.e.Educational Webinars AWE held 11 webinars on a variety of topics during 2019. These online seminars, often conducted in collaboration with our partners, provided valuable information to help water efficiency professionals do their jobs more effectively. In total, the live webinar broadcasts reached nearly 1,200 people, and the recordings on the AWE YouTube channel (A4WE) continue to garner new viewers. 2.Work continued during 2019 on a number of other grant-funded projects that were not actually finished in 2019, but which will be completed in 2020 or later: (in no particular order)a.Outdoor Water Savings Research Initiatives AWEs research in this area is now largely complete. One study was published in early 2019 on Evaluating the Benefits of Landscape Transformation Programs. The final study in the series, Evaluating the Water Savings from Drought Outdoor Watering Restrictions, was completed and released in November, 2019. Publicity, a webinar, and closeout work on this last study will be completed in January 2020. b.Predictive Analytics Project AWE has initiated a research project on the use of predictive analytics of consumer behavior to improve the success of water utility conservation programs. Funds are still being solicited for this research work, and the project was put on hold during 2019 while the necessary research funding is still being secured.c.Cooling Technologies Study AWE officially launched this multi-year project in 2017 and during 2019 significant work was completed by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratories on a Cooling Tower Estimation Model to assist in developing cooling tower inventories through the US. Work will continue in 2020, and the project should be completed at the end of 2020 or in early 2021. The project is funded by water utilities.d.Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Project - In collaboration with the California Water Efficiency Partnership (a chapter of the Alliance for Water Efficiency), AWE worked on a project to enable better purchasing and implementation of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) by water utilities across North America. Recognized experts developed a template Request for Proposals for bidding on AMI systems and stressing interoperability in those systems. A Guidance Manual for AMI Implementation was also published to promote best practices in the use of AMI. The project was largely completed in December, 2019, and final closeout work and sales of the manual will continue in 2020.e.Turner Foundation Net Blue Bozeman Project A team led by AWE is working with the City of Bozeman to pilot AWEs water-neutral planning and zoning ordinance (called Net Blue), with the goal to have the Net Blue ordinance components adopted by the Bozeman City Commission. The purpose of the Net Blue ordinance is to allow economic growth in the community without further straining finite local water resources. The project will be completed in mid-2021, and will hopefully set an example for other water-stressed communities to adopt the same tools.f.EPA WaterSense Program Advocacy AWE has been working with a coalition of like-minded stakeholders to help secure funding commitments for the WaterSense labeling program. AWE also promotes the WaterSense program to water utilities and consumers.g.Practical Plumbing Handbook This DIY handbook for the consumer sold over 35,000 copies in California, and in 2019 AWE undertook a national version of this popular California resource, in collaboration with its California Chapter. The Handbook was revamped and redesigned for a national audience, providing user-friendly instructions on how to repair and perform preventive maintenance on household plumbing fixtures. Conceived as a utility giveaway to help customers fix leaks and upgrade fixtures around their home, the handbook was published in 2019 and will also be made available in 2020 to individual consumers on AWEs Home Water Works website.h.TWF Website Resource Hub AWE will create resource collections on the website of the Texas Water Foundation on the topics of water conservation and efficiency, water and energy, and water reuse, including PDFs or web links to each resource. Resources produced in 2019 included academic research papers, white papers, government and water agency publications, and public education materials. The resources gathered are Texas-specific, and AWE wrote short narratives to introduce and/or explain the topics and/or subtopics created online. The project will be finished in 2020.i.UC Davis Energy Model This multi-year project undertaken in 2019 in collaboration with the University of California at Davis is developing an Excel model to help water utilities manage and optimize their energy demands in their drinking water and wastewater systems. During 2019 AWE provided technical advice and support for this Energy Demand Management System (EDMS). Beta testing with water utilities will occur in 2020 to demonstrate how the model can reduce and/or shift peak energy loads, account for different energy tariff structures and programs (e.g. time of use rates and demand response programs), and balance the grids intermittent renewable load generation. The project will be completed in late 2021.j.CalWEP Irrigation Guidebook This Lessons Learned Guidebook was written by AWE staff in collaboration with the California Water Efficiency Partnership, AWEs California chapter. The Guidebook will provide urban water conservation program managers in California a summary of the experience of water suppliers in designing and managing dedicated irrigation meters for commercial customers. AWE surveyed 55 existing programs and wrote the text of the Guidebook on its findings and recommendations. The Guidebook will be released in early 2020. k.Kohler Low Income Communities Project During 2019 AWE conducted research on defining low income areas in Detroit using available census tract information to highlight opportunities to improve water efficiency in these neighborhoods. The work was made possible by a grant from the Kohler Company for the purpose of understanding how conservation and efficiency best practices and retrofits can assist disadvantaged water customers by reducing water waste and lowering water bills. The work is expected to be completed and published in 2020 and will provide valuable insights for water managers, community leaders, and others on how to structure efficiency programs to provide the most benefit to disadvantaged customers.l.Scotts Miracle Gro Sustainable Landscapes Program In this two-year project, AWE developed in 2019 the Sustainable Landscapes: A Utility Program Guide to distill the extensive findings of the earlier released Landscape Transformation Study into actionable information that utilities can use to improve their outdoor water efficiency programs. Designed specifically for AWE water utility members, the Guide provides general considerations for customer landscape programs, and illustrates that information with four different utility program

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