Region 1: EPA New England
EPA's New Program to Sustain Water Resources: WaterSense Seeks to Enhance Consumer Market for Water Efficiency
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
By Robert
W. Varney
September 19, 2006
"Every drop counts." That's the motto for a new partnership program called WaterSense that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently launched to stimulate more efficient use of water in homes and businesses.
Increasingly, water and wastewater utilities, industry, and agriculture are relying on water efficiency as a low risk and low cost option to help meet growing demands and environmental needs. It's just common sense to use the water we have as efficiently as possible.
The need to develop a national ethic of water efficiency is underscored by a recent U.S. Government Accountability Office survey, reporting that 36 states anticipate local, regional or statewide water shortages by 2013, even without drought conditions. Managing the nation's water supply is a rising concern for communities across the country. This is especially true for states anticipating significant population growth. According to the United States Census Bureau, some states in New England expect their population to change by about 20 percent by 2030. New Hampshire's population is expected to grow by 33 percent in a little more than twenty years.
In response, EPA announced the WaterSense program in June. This voluntary partnership promotes water efficiency and primes the market for water-efficient products and services just as the market has embraced energy-efficient products.
This week I launched the WaterSense Program in New England at the New England Water Works Association Annual Conference in Danvers, Massachusetts. My keynote address entitled "What Does the Future Hold for the Drinking Water Industry" highlighted the challenges faced by communities in continuing to provide safe water, and will identify WaterSense as a new tool for reducing water and wastewater infrastructure costs and conserving valuable resources.
Efficient water use doesn't mean asking consumers to make sacrifices. Independent testing will ensure that products carrying the WaterSense label save water without compromising performance. The projected potential savings for initial product areas - toilets, faucets, and irrigation controllers - is estimated to be 128 billion gallons per year, enough to supply water to 3.5 million people for a year.
Beginning in early 2007, products and services bearing the WaterSense label will be available for purchase which will save money by saving water as well as the energy to pump, treat, and heat the water. Best of all, this can help ensure there is enough water to meet the needs of future generations.
Robert W. Varney is regional administrator of EPA's New England Office in Boston.