On the past several years, hundreds of thousands of building owners and facility managers in Flint, MI and Toledo, OH had to contend with toxic or no municipal water service. Building owners and managers from lower Manhattan to the Louisiana Gulf Coast have to contend with subsidence and increased storm surges that disrupt operations and damage building infrastructure. As a result, operations were disrupted if not lost, and building occupants in some cases suffered irreparable health impacts. Water can no longer be taken for granted or ignored solely based on the relatively low amount it costs to procure it. The Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) has developed a water use standard for commercial buildings that helps owners and managers ensure an optimized, healthy, and financially sound building stock.