Sustainability engineering and planning firm Brendle Group has launched a building scale software water management toolkit to achieve water neutrality.

The software tool — the firm says it’s the first of its kind — is part of Brendle Group’s Net Zero Water Initiative. The toolkit is free to download; Brendle Group is looking for volunteers to test it.

With drought intensifying across western North America and a changing climate that means less water for growing populations, companies, organizations and communities are increasingly facing risks and uncertainties for their water resources. Yet the tools to comprehensively assess current water use and quality, examine reduction scenarios, and take action have been lacking, Brendle Group says.

The Net Zero Water Initiative fills this gap by building off the principles of net zero energy and climate neutrality, according to the firm. Net Zero Water focuses on understanding your water footprint and taking action to reduce consumption and improve water quality whether you are a building owner, company or school campus. The building scale toolkit provides a framework for organizations of all sizes to assess their site usage and improve water management.