Annual Report (2014)

A summary of the year's activities.

2014 was a fantastic year for the Alliance for Water Efficiency. We were awarded the prestigious 2014 U.S. Water Prize, receiving recognition from our peers that we are doing significant and valuable work. We were invited to testify before the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on water and energy issues, demonstrating that our opinions on this issue are valued within this important sector of our government.

We launched a major initiative on conservation rates and revenue stability – Financing Sustainable Water – publishing a freely accessible handbook and rate model that are state of the art in the utility industry. We broke new ground with a white paper on using market-based instruments to manage revenue risks, examining ways to help utilities and municipalities insure against catastrophic weather events such as long-term droughts. Lastly, we launched an outdoor water use savings research project, aimed at dealing with the largest area of potential future water efficiency savings.

The groundbreaking work we are doing is a source of great pride. Most important to me personally is the satisfaction of working side by side with our very capable staff, who during 2014 provided needed technical assistance on water efficiency programs, developed successful grant applications on critical path projects, built membership, managed our finances, and kept the office running smoothly. Our staff members are the strength and backbone of the organization, and I am exceedingly proud of their extraordinary accomplishments and their deep commitment to our mission.