New tool and guidelines help utilities build complete, consistent emissions inventories.
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, aims 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 GHG inventories. The Water Sector Climate Emissions Reporting (WSCER) Guidelines and Tool was 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.
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) Tool, a spreadsheet-based tool that supports consistent inventory development and emissions analysis through a structured process for boundary setting, source identification, calculation, and reporting.
Developed Through Multi-Year Industry Collaboration
The guidance and tool were developed through a multi-year research effort sponsored by WRF, 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. Because it is grounded in both science and utility operations, it provides a credible foundation for organizations working to apply the methodology in practice.” – Alliance CEO Mami Hara
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. The companion WSCER tool and User Guide are available for free.
Project Team and Contributions
This project was prepared by the US Water Alliance, Northern Tilth, Cobalt Water Global, and Stantec; with additional contributions from Brown and Caldwell, CDM Smith, Eddyline Strategies, GHD, Jacobs, and Princeton University.
