The AWWA Standards Council needs to ensure that AWWA standards continue to cover accepted and proven technologies, while fostering the incorporation of new technologies and advances.

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AWWA's standards and manuals go through a rigorous review and approval process to ensure uniform, accurate, trusted guidance for the water industry in its products and operations. It's up to a large network of skilled, expert AWWA volunteers to navigate the myriad steps required to develop standards and manuals. Not only are these guidelines useful on numerous present-day fronts; the historical context helps water utilities work with older equipment and materials.

This month's question concerns product certification by AWWA. The article explains that this is a misunderstanding, that AWWA Standards don't include a certification or testing component. Standards aren't endorsements, and AWWA doesn't test, certify, endorse, or approve any product, service, or manufacturer. An AWWA Standard is a guide for product manufacturing; the use of AWWA Standards by manufacturers and utilities is voluntary. The article supplies further information on: the AWWA Sourcebook, a buyer's reference guide listing products and services and the companies that provide them to water utilities; NSF/ANSI certification program for direct and indirect drinking water additives; and, the AWWA Standards Signature that, when applied by a company to their product, means that they support the use of AWWA Standards, and is not to be interpreted as certification of a company or a product.