GEMI Local Water Tool (LWT) 2.0 – Updating and Enhancing the LWT: Project Proposal
Business risk, opportunity assessments, and reporting related to water issues continue to evolve to require analyses of water use, local availability, impact of use, license to operate and climate-adaptation considerations on both global and local levels.
Originally released in 2012, the GEMI Local Water Tool™(LWT) is a free Excel-based tool for companies and organizations to evaluate the external impacts, business risks, opportunities and management plans related to water use and discharge at a specific site or operation. The GEMI Local Water Tool™(LWT) for Oil and Gas is a companion tool customized for petroleum companies.
The tool is designed to answer questions related to a local risk assessment of a specific site, such as:
- What are the water risks at this site:
- Physical supply
- Regulatory
- Social
- Competition
- Climate variability
- Which risks are greatest?
- What is our management plan?
The GEMI LWT™ was developed in cooperation with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) to link to the WBCSD Global Water Tool (GWT) as well as with IPIECA to link to the IPIECA Global Water Tool for Oil and Gas and provides a set of tools that companies can use to sustainably manage water in their operations. The GEMI LWT was most recently updated in March 2015 to maintain alignment with the WBCSD Global Water Tool.
Since the GEMI LWT’s release in 2012, it has been used globally by thousands of organizations across sectors and has been referenced as a valuable resource for water risk assessment by a variety of independent organizations, such as the Alliance for Water Stewardship, CDP, CEO Water Mandate, Environmental Business Journal, SDG Compass and others.
Objective
GEMI is now taking on a new effort to review and update the GEMI Local Water Tool™(LWT) and GEMI Local Water Tool™ for Oil & Gas to:
- incorporate consideration of climate adaptation in the tool’s risk assessment process through addition of a new module within the tool
- provide updated links within the tool to credible and recent local water data
- enhance alignment of the tool’s outputs with current water reporting requirements, where relevant,
- ensure the tool is updated to the latest software standards, while enhancing its ease of use
An identical update will be performed for both the LWT and LWT for Oil & Gas, while maintaining existing sector-specific custom elements in the current oil & gas tool.
In order to develop the most comprehensive tool possible, GEMI is opening up the revision process to a wider set of companies and industry organizations. Those organizations joining the project will have influence in the tool’s design and scope, gain insight into how others are managing water risks and get to utilize the tool prior public release.
GEMI LWT project members will have a unique opportunity to identify and shape key enhancements to the existing tool in areas such as: the impact of climate-adaptation considerations in water risk assessment, the use of water risk assessment outputs for current and expected corporate water reporting requirements and, linkages to new/enhanced water datasets. Those organizations participating in this collaborative effort will be recognized during the development and release of the new tool.
Project Tasks, Budget and Schedule
The following tasks are planned for revision and expansion of the GEMI Local Water Tool (LWT). At the beginning of the project, ideas for revisions and updates of the current GEMI tools will be sought from the project working group (LWT Project Members).
Project Tasks
Task 1: Finalize Project Work Plan.
- Gather input from group of representative LWT users for the purpose of understanding the pros and cons of the existing LWT tool, what works and what needs to be addressed, suggested improvements and ways to potentially simplify the process.
Deliverable: Final Project Work Plan
Task 2: Refresh and Expand the Local Water Tool Framework, Content and Functionality
- A one-day Framing Workshop will be held to review and enhance the design of the LWT 2.0 structure, functionalities, and outputs. Review climate change risks and define the resources that the collective group feels need to be considered for use as a link to help assess current and forecasted risks.
Deliverable: Memorandum documenting the outcomes of the Framing Workshop.
Task 3: Create Draft LWT 2.0, Review with Project Members and Revise based on member feedback
- Create Draft LWT: A draft 2.0 version of the LWT will be created based on the existing GEMI LWT and the results of the Framing Workshop.
Deliverable: Draft LWT 2.0 architectural framework
- Review Teleconference: A 90-minute teleconference will be held with the Project Members to review the draft LWT 2.0.
Deliverable: Memorandum documenting the outcomes of the LWT Review.
- Revise Draft LWT: The Draft LWT 2.0 will be revised based on the Review call and an identical update will be made to the LWT oil & gas version to align with the revision.
Deliverable: LWT 2.0 ready for Pilot Testing
Task 4: Pilot Test LWT 2.0
- A Pilot Tester Kickoff Teleconference will be held with LWT Project Members to provide instructions for using the tool. Technical support will be provided to pilot testers if needed.
- A 90-minute Pilot Testers Review Teleconference will be held to review lessons learned and revise the tool
Deliverable: Memorandum documenting the outcomes of the Pilot Testers teleconference.
Task 5: Finalize LWT: General Version and Oil/Gas Sector Version.
Deliverable: Final Local Water Tools: General and Oil/Gas Version 2.0 ready for publication online.
Project Schedule
| Date | Task |
| September 2018 | Confirmation of Project Participants and Finalize Project Funding.
Issue Invoices to Committed Participants. |
| October – December 2018 | Task 1: Finalize Project Work Plan
|
| January – March 2019 | Task 2: Refresh and Expand the Local Water Tool Framework, Content and Functionality |
| April – June 2019 | Task 3: Create Draft LWT 2.0, Review with Project Members and Revise based on member feedback |
| July – September 2019 | Task 4: Pilot Test LWT 2.0 |
| October 2019 | Task 5: Finalize LWT: General Version and Oil/Gas Sector Version |
Project Budget
This project will be completed at a total cost of $250,000, inclusive of expenses and GEMI administrative costs. This estimated cost assumes that GEMI will provide organizational support for logistics and meeting scheduling. Meeting locations are assumed to be in the United States.
Funding Approach
GEMI is seeking to form a cross-industry coalition of companies and industry trade associations interested in water risk assessment and to raise funding from participating organizations to support this project. The total budget would be divided between interested participants. This cost-shared model allows project partners to help shape a new tool at a much lower cost than commissioning such a project individually, while also learning from peers from across sectors. GEMI is seeking a commitment of interest by September 15, 2018 with payment due by January 15, 2019.
Team
GEMI will partner on this project with a team from Gannett Fleming, Inc., led by Mark D. Johnson, Senior Vice President, Director – Environmental Compliance & Remediation Services. For more than 100 years, Gannett Fleming has been a leader in global infrastructure solutions with a focus on planning, design, technology, and construction management services for a diverse array of markets and disciplines. Partnering with the GEMI Water Sustainability Work Group, Gannett Fleming was the prime developer of GEMI’s Collecting the Drops: A Water Sustainability Planner tool. The web-based tool was tailored for facility managers or owners and guided them through the process of assessing water use and impacts from their operations, and this tool served as a model for the original GEMI LWT.
Action
To learn more about participation in this project and the project commitment process please contact Kellen Mahoney at GEMI at kmahoney@navista.net
