The American Water Works Association (AWWA) has announced it has achieved the prestigious Audited Designator status as a standards developer at the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

“We are incredibly proud to join the elite group of just seven ANSI-accredited Standards Developing Organizations holding this status,” said Paul Olson, AWWA’s senior manager of standards. “This prestigious status is awarded to developers who process a significant number of standards each year while maintaining a record of successful process audits. It empowers us to expedite certain procedural actions on behalf of ANSI, promoting efficient and timely standards development. We’re excited to start operating as an Audited Designator and continue our mission of setting high standards in the industry.”

AWWA becomes just the seventh organization to achieve Audited Designator status, joining American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), ASTM International, International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), NSF and UL.

Being an Audited Designator means ANSI has granted AWWA the authority to designate its standards as American National Standards without such standards being reviewed and approved by the ANSI Board of Standards Review (BSR).

This status is granted to developers that have demonstrated a “consistent record of successful voluntary standards development” and grants the developer the authority to designate standards as ANSI standards with reduced ANSI review. This reduces the final approval time from ANSI on standards that have had unresolved objections, appeals, and/or committee balance issues. The time reduced for these standards for approval would be four to six weeks and reduce the amount of paperwork that would be required for each approval.