Position No. 269

                                                                                    (See also Position No. 243 (July 26, 2002)

                                                                                    Originally adopted April 9, 1999

POSITION

of the

WESTERN STATES WATER COUNCIL

Regarding

WATER EFFICIENCY STANDARDS FOR PLUMBING PRODUCTS

Seattle, Washington

July 15, 2005

(revised and readopted)

             WHEREAS, making efficient and beneficial use of scarce water resources has been, and continues to be, a fundamental objective of the Western States; and

             WHEREAS, the importance of water use efficiency continues to grow as the finite water resources of the Western States support increasing levels of population and economic activity; and

             WHEREAS, new technology that makes more efficient use of water in its various applications offers significant economic and environmental benefits to the Western States; and

             WHEREAS, efficient plumbing products, including ultra-low flush toilets (ULFTs), became widely available in the early 1990’s, and have undergone substantial product development and performance improvement since that time; and

             WHEREAS, the American Water Works Association Research Foundation (AWWARF) has commissioned the most comprehensive end-use study of indoor water use ever undertaken in North America, recording indoor water usage in twelve cities, the majority located in the Western States; and

             WHEREAS, the AWWARF studies have documented per capita indoor water use reductions averaging over 30% in single-family homes equipped with water-efficient plumbing fixtures, fittings, and appliances currently on the market, compared to homes without such products; and

             WHEREAS, the States comprising the Western States Water Council have identified drinking water and wastewater infrastructure needs totaling more the $60 billion over the next 20 years, as contained in Needs Surveys forwarded to Congress by the Environmental Protection Agency; and

             WHEREAS, many of these capital costs can be postponed or reduced by reductions in the volume of flows that must be accommodated; and

             WHEREAS, in recognition of the public and private benefits of efficient plumbing products, between 1990 and 1992 the States of Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington adopted statewide standards for new plumbing products, including a standard of 1.6 gallons per flush for toilets; and

             WHEREAS, following action by these States and others, the Energy Policy Act of 1992 was enacted in October 1992 containing uniform national water efficiency standards for plumbing products, including a standard of 1.6 gpf for toilets, with the active support of many water and wastewater utilities in the Western States; and

             WHEREAS, other Western States have subsequently incorporated comparable water efficiency standards into their plumbing codes; and

             WHEREAS, uniform national efficiency standards simplify and reduce the States’ burden of enforcement regarding sale and installation of ULFTs and other water-efficient plumbing products; and

             WHEREAS, uniform national efficiency standards maintain a national market for plumbing products, allowing manufacturers to achieve full economies of scale and encouraging wider competition in all jurisdictions; and

             WHEREAS, enactment of such legislation will not benefit the communities and consumers of the Western States; and

             WHEREAS, enactment of such legislation will increase the burden of enforcement on Western States and communities seeking to maintain efficiency standards for plumbing products, and will reduce the reliability and predictability of water savings resulting from such standards; and

             WHEREAS, enactment of such legislation may disadvantage Western States seeking to maintain water efficiency standards for plumbing products due to the diversion of a disproportionate share of federal financial assistance for water and wastewater infrastructure in future years to States choosing to make less efficient use of water by relaxing or repealing water efficiency standards for plumbing products.

             NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Western States Water Council supports the retention of uniform national water efficiency standards for plumbing products.

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