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Finalized Revised Policy Regarding Submetered Properties
Release Date: 12/23/2003
Contact Information:
Cathy Milbourn 202-564-7824 / milbourn.cathy@epa.gov
(12/23/03) - To promote water conservation, EPA is changing its regulatory policy under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) for apartment buildings and other similar properties. When property owners install submeters and bill tenants for actual water consumption, they will no longer be treated as public water systems subject to the full regulatory requirements of the SDWA. This change will encourage more tenant submetering by removing the potential regulatory burden currently faced by apartment building owners who install submeters and bill tenants separately for water. Nearly 15 percent of the population nationwide lives in apartments or similar properties. EPA’s revised policy only applies to properties that already receive water from a regulated public water system. On Aug. 28, a 60-day comment period began and the Agency received comments from a variety of stakeholders, including state, county, and local governments, apartment building owners and housing associations and utility companies. In general, the comments submitted strongly supported the Agency’s proposed policy and noted that submetering promotes water conservation. For more information on water efficiency, go to: https://www.epa.gov/owm/water-efficiency . Information regarding comments received, view Docket OW-2003-0065 at: https://www.epa.gov/docket .
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