Committee Report: The Leakage Emissions Initiative

Key Takeaways Water utilities use valuable energy and resources to extract, treat, and deliver water that is lost to leakage; this water loss is responsible for a quantifiable amount of carbon emissions. AWWA Manual M36, Methodology Standard Water Balance, will help account for emissions when paired with data on a water utility's energy usage and its associated carbon intensity. The Leakage Emissions Initiative details a methodology to account for carbon emissions from leakage, allowing utilities to calculate the carbon emissions mitigated when leakage is reduced.