The Alliance for Water Efficiency and the Environmental Law Institute have released a five-year update to the 2012 Water Efficiency and Conservation State Scorecard: An assessment of laws and policies. The topic areas addressed by the 2017 survey are: water loss control; consumptive use standards for appliances and fixtures; water conservation and drought planning; funding sources other than State Revolving Funds for urban conservation programs; technical assistance offerings; and customer metering, volumetric billing, and conservation-oriented rate structure requirements. The climate resiliency planning component explored basic legal requirements that obligate states to actively prepare for climate adaptation; prioritisation of climate-related challenges; and implications for water and wastewater utilities.
The surveys produced more than one thousand data points which were all reviewed and verified. While the findings reflect some significant progress, particularly around water loss control and drought preparedness, they also clearly identify critical areas that need more work and states that have a lot of opportunity for improvement. Complete breakouts of state-by-state scores and grades are available in the report and in the supplemental state-by-state materials.