AWWA Standards Every Industrial Water Manager Should Know
Published on
October 13th, 2025
In industrial and commercial water systems, adhering to recognized standards is more than best practice — it's a risk mitigation, quality assurance, and regulatory alignment strategy. The American Water Works Association (AWWA) maintains a robust library of consensus standards covering chemicals, membranes, treatment processes, and system components that influence design, procurement, operation, and compliance. (American Water Works Association)
For industrial water managers, understanding which AWWA standards are most relevant—and how to apply them—can streamline decision-making, tighten system reliability, and reduce operational risk. In this post, we offer an overview of the key AWWA standards you should know and how they apply in industrial / commercial settings.
Why AWWA Standards Matter in Industrial / Commercial Contexts
Before diving into specific standards, it helps to understand why adopting AWWA standards is beneficial in industrial water systems:
1. Credibility & Auditability
Referencing accepted standards demonstrates that your design, procurement, and testing decisions align with industry consensus. Regulators, clients, and auditors respect systems that cite recognized AWWA standards as a defense against “ad hoc” design.
2. Baseline Expectations
Many AWWA standards define minimum requirements (materials, testing, performance) that become de facto benchmarks. Even if you go beyond them, they serve as a baseline. (American Water Works Association)
3. Interoperability & Supplier Clarity
Using standard definitions and requirements helps ensure component compatibility, better bid comparisons, and easier vendor evaluation.
4. Risk Mitigation & Quality Assurance
Standards clarify test protocols, acceptance criteria, quality control steps, and documentation practices that reduce surprises.
5. Future-Proofing
Standards evolve. By building systems with modular compliance paths (i.e. component-level standard conformance), incremental upgrades or regulation shifts become less painful.
Key AWWA Standards to Know (and Why They Matter)
Below are core AWWA standards that industrial water managers should be familiar with, especially when your systems use membranes, ion exchange, or disinfection chemistries. Note: this is not exhaustive, but a starting point for high-impact areas.
| Standard | Scope / Purpose | Relevance for Industrial Water Systems |
|---|---|---|
| B104-24: Single-Use Ion Exchange Treatment for Trace Contaminant Removal | Defines minimum requirements for purchasing, testing, and installing ion exchange (IX) resins and systems, particularly for non-regenerable (single-use) IX used to remove trace contaminants such as PFAS, perchlorate, uranium, etc. (see AWWA standards catalog). | Many industrial and utility systems now must remove trace contaminants (e.g. PFAS). B104 provides a basis for specifying IX resin type and sizing, acceptance tests, handling, and quality control — reducing vendor variability and project risk. |
| B114-22: Reverse Osmosis & Nanofiltration Systems for Water Treatment | Sets minimum requirements for design, procurement, installation, performance testing, and commissioning of reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) systems. | RO/NF systems are core technologies in industries such as semiconductor manufacturing, food & beverage, and power. B114 outlines performance expectations (e.g., salt passage, recovery), test protocols, and commissioning criteria that help ensure reliable, auditable system delivery. |
| B112-19: Microfiltration & Ultrafiltration Membrane Systems | Covers microfiltration (MF) and ultrafiltration (UF) membrane systems including pore size guidance, performance expectations, recommended system layouts, and testing approaches (part of the AWWA standards library). | MF / UF are common as pre-treatment or polishing barriers in multi-barrier designs. B112 provides metrics and test methods to evaluate vendor claims and to set acceptance criteria for particulate and colloidal removal. |
| B116-19 & B116 Series: Electrodialysis & Ion-Exchange Membrane Systems | Addresses electrodialysis and ion-exchange membrane technologies, including system configurations and performance considerations when coupling membranes with IX approaches. | In niche industrial applications (e.g., brine concentration, salt recovery, zero liquid discharge), electrodialysis and membrane/IX hybrids are valuable. B116 helps specify performance, materials, and test methods for these hybrid systems. |
| B300 Series / Disinfection Chemicals (e.g., B301 – Liquid Chlorine) | Covers handling, packaging, quality, testing, and specification guidance for common disinfectants and treatment chemicals (chlorine, hypochlorites, etc.). | Many industrial systems rely on chlorine or hypochlorite for disinfection and oxidation. Referencing B301 and related chemical standards helps ensure chemical quality, safe storage/handling, and traceability — all critical for safety and regulatory compliance. |
| Other relevant standards / cross-references | • B100 — Granular filter media specification • Standards covering dosing equipment, corrosion control, piping & valves, instrumentation (various AWWA and related consensus standards) | Even if your system does not require every element, knowing related standards helps you specify filter media, pre-treatment components, valves, and chemical dosing protocols with confidence — improving supplier bids and reducing compatibility risk. |
These standards are accessible via AWWA’s standards catalog. (American Water Works Association)
Applying Standards in Industrial / Commercial Projects
Knowing standards is one thing; applying them thoughtfully is another. Below are practical strategies to embed AWWA standards into your industrial water systems.
1. Use Standards as Specification Frameworks
When writing RFPs, equipment specs, or design documents, include relevant AWWA standards as baseline requirements. For example: “Ion exchange resin and skids shall meet B104-24” or “RO system shall be tested per B114-22 protocols.” This filters out nonconforming bids and signals technical rigor.
2. Demand Test Data & Vendor Certification
Don’t accept generic vendor claims. Require vendors to supply test certificates aligning with AWWA standard protocols—e.g. resin bead uniformity, ionic capacity, salt rejection, or flux stability. When vendors can reference compliance, it reduces your validation burden.
3. Commission & Performance Testing
Standards like B114 specify demonstration testing (e.g. baseline flux measurement, recovery, salt passage) before system handover. Insist that vendors perform those tests under your water quality, not only ideal feed conditions, and report results in traceable formats.
4. Documentation & Recordkeeping
AWWA standards often outline required documentation: design reports, as-built drawings, acceptance test logs, instrumentation calibration, operating manuals. Maintain these as part of your compliance / audit package.
5. Modular Design & Upgradability
Set your system design so parts conform to standards and can be upgraded independently. For example, choosing a membrane module that fits within B114 performance bounds means future modules or membranes from alternative vendors may slot in easily.
6. Stay Updated
Standards evolve. AWWA periodically revises dozens of standards in a given cycle. (American Water Works Association) Subscribe to alerts or monitor commentary periods so your systems remain aligned over time.
Use Case Examples & Considerations for Industrial Water Systems
To help ground this in industrial practice, here are a few scenarios and how standards help:
Use Case: PFAS / Trace Contaminant Removal
A plant wants to remove PFAS or perchlorate using ion exchange. Using B104-24 gives you a rigorous baseline specification: resin capacity, bead integrity, test conditions, and resin delivery / packaging standards. (store.awwa.org) Without that, vendor solutions may vary wildly, leaving you exposed.
Use Case: Zero Liquid Discharge / Brine Concentration
In advanced recovery systems where membranes and ion exchange are combined, referencing B114 and B116 can help ensure that membranes, module configurations, and system parameters maintain performance under extreme loading conditions.
Use Case: Startup and Commissioning of RO / NF Systems
When commissioning RO systems, the standard B114-22 requires you to run performance tests (flux, recovery, rejection) under site water. If you only rely on bench tests, your actual plant may underperform.
Use Case: Retrofit & Component Replacement
You may want to replace a membrane element or ion exchange cartridge mid-lifecycle. If earlier versions conformed to AWWA standards, component replacement is safer—you can match specs and performance more predictably.
Tips for Integrating Standards Without Overengineering
While standards are valuable, not every project needs full-blown compliance. Over-engineering can add cost. Here are some guardrails:
- Apply standards where risk or criticality demands it (e.g. barrier systems, high-reliability zones)./p>
- Use standards selectively (e.g. just for membrane systems or IX, not for every pipe)./p>
- Tailor optional clauses carefully — many AWWA standards include optional features; pick only what you need./p>
- Document deviations explicitly — when diverging from a standard, justify it and log the tradeoffs./p>
AWWA standards represent a foundational knowledge set for any industrial or commercial water system manager. By referencing B104-24, B114-22, and related standards around membranes, ion exchange, and chemical quality, you ensure your system is technically defensible, auditable, and maintainable.
But having standards is only half the battle — applying them thoughtfully in vendor specs, performance testing, documentation, and modular design is what differentiates high-performing systems from reactive ones.
Our team ensures your systems align with current standards to reduce risk. Whether you're designing a brand-new water plant or retrofitting existing infrastructure, Orca Pacific brings practical, standards-driven engineering to industrial water systems. Reach out and let’s design your next system for performance, compliance, and resilience.