New Guidance Standardizes Water Sector GHG Accounting

A new guidance document and companion tool, developed through a project sponsored by The Water Research Foundation (WRF) and led by the US Water Alliance, aim to standardize how water and wastewater utilities account for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, giving the sector a more consistent approach to measuring, reporting, and managing emissions.

As utilities face growing pressure to quantify emissions and align with climate goals, the sector has lacked a practical, utility-specific method for building complete greenhouse gas inventories. The Water Sector Climate Emissions Reporting (WSCER) Guidelines and Tool were developed to help fill that gap.

The guidance provides standardized methods, clear workflows, and an implementation tool designed specifically for water and wastewater utility operations.

“Water utilities have been asked to play a larger role in climate mitigation, but they have not always had the tools to fully understand their emissions,” said David Ponder, Principal of Eddyline Strategies and lead author of the guidance methodology. “The goal is to help utilities create inventories that are repeatable, defensible, and connected to everyday planning and operational decisions.”

Guidance and Tool Support More Consistent Utility Inventories
The guidance outlines an approach for quantifying emissions across Scope 1, Scope 2, and key Scope 3 categories, including wastewater process emissions, energy use, biosolids management, and supply chain activities. It includes science-based methods aligned with leading frameworks, a tiered approach for improving accuracy over time, and repeatable workflows for data collection, quality control, and reporting.

The guidance is paired with the Water Sector Climate Emissions Reporter (WSCER), a spreadsheet-based tool that supports consistent inventory development and emissions analysis through a structured process for boundary setting, source identification, calculation, and reporting.

“One of the sector’s critical needs has been a more consistent approach to emissions quantification,” said Dr. Peter Grevatt, CEO of The Water Research Foundation. “This project gives utilities and their partners a common starting point for building repeatable, consistent, and comparable year-over-year inventories.”

Developed Through Multi-Year Industry Collaboration
The guidance and tool were developed through a multi-year research effort sponsored by The Water Research Foundation, with input from utilities, researchers, and practitioners across the sector to ensure both technical rigor and practical relevance.

“The US Water Alliance was pleased to partner with WRF because this guidance gives utilities and their technical partners a practical reference point for greenhouse gas accounting,” said Mami Hara, CEO of the US Water Alliance. “Because it is grounded in both science and utility operations, it provides a credible foundation for organizations working to apply the methodology in practice.”

The resulting framework reflects current scientific understanding as well as the operational realities of water and wastewater systems, supporting more consistent, transparent, and actionable GHG accounting across the sector.

Availability and Access
The guidance is available to subscribers of The Water Research Foundation at www.bit.ly/WSCER.

The companion Water Sector Climate Emissions Reporter (WSCER) tool and User Guide can be downloaded for free at www.waterghgs.com.

About The Project
The Water Sector Climate Emissions Reporting Guidelines and Tool were developed through WRF project 5188, sponsored by The Water Research Foundation. The work reflects a multi-year, sector-wide collaboration involving utilities, advisory committee members, and research partners, grounding the guidance in both current science and utility operations.

This work was developed under the leadership of the US Water Alliance as principal investigator, with David Ponder as lead author (now at Eddyline Strategies), in collaboration with Northern Tilth, Cobalt Water Global, and Stantec, and research support from Brown and Caldwell, CDM Smith, GHD, Jacobs, and Princeton University. Ongoing updates and user support are provided through Eddyline Strategies.

About Eddyline Strategies
Eddyline Strategies LLC is a consulting practice focused on greenhouse gas accounting, climate action planning, and sustainability strategy for water and wastewater utilities. Led by David Ponder, Eddyline supports application of the WSCER guidelines and development of defensible GHG inventories. For more information, visit www.eddyline.llc.

About the US Water Alliance
The US Water Alliance is a member-supported nonprofit that brings together diverse stakeholders to advance One Water solutions. It builds shared understanding of water’s value, develops practical approaches to complex challenges, and supports adoption of policies and practices that improve water system performance, resilience, and community outcomes. Its nearly 200 members and partners include utilities, public agencies, community organizations, and other stakeholders across the water sector. For more information, visit www.uswateralliance.org.

About The Water Research Foundation
The Water Research Foundation (WRF) is the leading research organization advancing the science of all water to meet the evolving needs of its subscribers and the water sector. WRF is a nonprofit, educational organization that funds, manages, and publishes research on the technology, operation, and management of drinking water, wastewater, reuse, and stormwater systems—all in pursuit of ensuring water quality and improving water services to the public. For more information, visit www.waterrf.org.