Membership Advisory Committees

The Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE) has three advisory committees open to all organization-based (non-individual) members of AWE. Descriptions of the three advisory committees are below. A member in good standing may join all three advisory committees, although only two representatives (primary & alternate) per member organization may participate in each committee. Committee meetings are generally held virtually, with occasional in-person meetings.

Note: All volunteers serving on any of the three advisory committees must review and adhere to the AWE Volunteer Service Policy, AWE Advisory Committee Operations Policy, and AWE Confidentiality Policy as applicable.

Please note that membership is required to participate in the three advisory committee activities. Apply for membership via our online membership application. Become a member of the AWE, and get involved!​ Note: Membership in AWE is not a requirement to participate in the other committees and workgroups listed below. See their individual descriptions for information on joining. 

Click the + symbol to expand sections.

Education and Outreach Advisory Committee

Purpose: To improve the level of understanding nationwide of the need to conserve water and use it wisely; and to help water utilities, government agencies and other stakeholders with their consumer education and conservation training efforts.
See the 2023 Work Plan

Chair: Jill Greiner, City of Charlottesville

Vice-Chair: Clover Rogers, Jurupa Community Services District 

Roster: Member-Only Access (Sign-in for Access)

To Join: Contact Rachel Austin-DeBruin

Next Meeting: Check AWE's events calendar

Water Efficiency Research Advisory Committee

Purpose: To develop a research agenda and to identify specific research projects; to identify funding partners and grants; and to review the progress of AWE-initiated research projects.

Co-Chairs: Celine Benoit, Atlanta Regional Commission
                   Whitney Ray, East Bay Municipal Utility District

Roster: Member-Only Access (Sign-in for Access)

To Join: Contact Amanda Christophe

Next Meeting: Check AWE's events calendar

WaterSense & Water-Efficient Products Advisory Committee

Purpose: To provide detailed recommendations to U.S. EPA on the development of WaterSense® labeled products and programs. This committee will also review technical issues associated with products and appliances and will evaluate national standards and specifications.

Co-Chairs: C.J. Lagan, LIXIL/American Standard 
                    Gary Tilkian, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

Roster: Member-Only Access (Sign-in for Access)

To Join: Contact Andrew Morris

Next Meeting: Check AWE's events calendar

Other Committees and Workgroups

College Water Efficiency Group

The College Water Efficiency Group was formed in 2012 with a goal to learn technology, explore and share ideas of actual projects completed on college campuses (case studies) to reduce water use. The case studies are on a broad range of topics for both indoor and outdoor uses from landscape, water-energy programs, application and benefit of using GIS mapping, water and energy reductions from tray-less dining, to fixture retrofits (toilets, urinals, showerheads, faucets) and even campus water action plans, and campus water shortage management planning.

The Group is unique in that it includes not only university members, but also water utility and electric utility as well as industry and consultant representatives. With all key parties represented it allows open communication and flow of ideas on how to create successful projects including actual technology installations and retrofits and funding mechanisms.

Over the past five years group has grown to over 120 members in 11 states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Montana, New York, North Carolina, and Texas). The Group typically meets every other month for one hour via phone conference call. If you are a university (public, private or community college), water utility, or energy utility, or a consultant and are interested in joining please contact Michelle Maddaus at Maddaus Water Management to obtain information about the group. 

The group focuses on three main areas:

     1.  Implementation:

  • Overcome past struggles with efficiency projects on campuses
  • No single dedicated campus position for water resources; disparate responsibilities for campus activities related to water resources
  • Water projects typically had a long payback for campuses with low water rates but that is changing as water rates are rising and some technology costs are coming down
  • Adjusting attitudes and behaviors:
    • Overcoming mentality “Water is too cheap!” (and therefore not valuable)
    • Overcoming the idea “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.”
  • Making it a priority for management staff (getting “buy in”)
  • Lack of accurate campus fixture data / Lack of water meters
  • Learn / share ideas on successfully implementation
  • Verify and test water efficient technology – verify product saves water & works well in a campus setting

     2.  Water Savings:

  • Be resource efficient and optimize available water supplies
  • Reach individual campus goals to reduce water use

     3.  Funding:

  • Typically no dedicated funding source for water conservation projects
  • As a group help gain support by showing that conservation is a good & sustainable idea, and “proving it”
  • Potential for combined funding / grant / rebate / bulk purchases
  • Get the most savings for the fewest dollars
  • Desire to use student & tax payer dollars wisely

Behavioral Change Working Group

In 2022, The Behavior Change Research Working Group was established out of the Water Efficiency Research Committee to create a research statement and scope of work to further research related to behavior change. Given that a person is behind all water use decisions either directly or indirectly - the Working Group aspires to learn more about what practices work to affect behavior change, how to sustain those behaviors, and how to demonstrate savings from behavior change.   

Currently, the group is developing a research problem and conducting a background literature review.

Past Committees

AMI-ABLE Committee

The AMI-ABLE Committee was an extension of the Water Research Foundation project, AMR/AMI Standardization for Drinking Water Systems. In December 2014, the Committee was approved by the Alliance for Water Efficiency Board of Directors to further the project goals to promote the establishment and use of standards for Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) and Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) systems.

Most recently, a working group of water utilities, with the assistance of funding from the California Department of Water Resources, and in partnership with the California Water Efficiency Partnership, has engaged Don Schlenger and Associates, LLC to prepare a template Request for Proposals (RFP) of AMR/AMI specifications regarding aspects of transmitted meter data and the formats that it may take. The highest priority in the effort is the advent of interoperability between AMR/AMI systems, monitors and valves that may be connected to them, communication and programming devices as well as data formatting. The RFP is a living document that can be used by water utilities and customized to suit their needs.

Currently. the Alliance for Water Efficiency is working on an AMI Leak Notification Project.  This project was created out of the Water Efficiency Research Committee and is funded through Metropolitan Water District of Southern California ICP program,.  For the project, AWE is analyzing data to estimate savings resulting from AMI empowered leak alerts.  Four utilities across the United States provided data with one year of AMI data pre-leak alerts and one year of AMI data post-leak alerts.  The project will include a comprehensive analysis of the utilities AMI and leak alert notifications, an expansive literature review, and a final report summarizing findings.

Meter Flow Restrictor Workgroup

In 2021, The Alliance for Water Efficiency’s Research Committee created the Meter Flow Restrictor Workgroup to further investigate meter flow restrictors.  The workgroup conducted a background literature review on flow restrictors and researched the potential unintended consequences meter flow restrictors may have on appliances.  Additionally, the workgroup developed a matrix of water utility nonpayment policies for a sample of water utilities across the United States.

AWE Members have access to request the research materials created by the AWE Research Committee Meter Flow Restrictor Workgroup. 

To request the AWE Meter Flow Restrictor Research Materials, please click the link here.  The materials consist of:

  • A comprehensive list of background resources relating to meter flow restrictors
  • An excel spreadsheet that includes a water policy nonpayment matrix AND a list of potential unintended consequences from meter flow restrictors.

*The Meter Flow Restrictor Workgroup completed its research in early 2022

Peak Demand Research Working Group

In 2022, The Peak Demand Research Working Group was established out of the Water Efficiency Research Committee to create a research statement and scope of work to further research related to peak demand trends and drivers. The initially identified areas of interest include understanding which policies and programs have affected peak demands and which strategies have been the most successful.