Bipartisan efforts to formally authorize EPA’s WaterSense program should ensure the agency does not apply the WaterSense designation to self-regenerating water softeners that increase saline discharges into wastewater systems, AMWA and a coalition of water and wastewater organizations wrote in an August 16 letter to Capitol Hill.
The water sector letter comes in response to H.R. 8 and S. 2012, a pair of energy policy bills that are expected to be the subject of conference committee negotiations this fall. Both the House and Senate-approved bills would formally authorize the WaterSense program, but some stakeholders have expressed concerns that the language could prompt EPA to award a WaterSense certification to certain in-home water softeners. Self-regenerating water softeners are used to reduce minerals from drinking water in the home, but the devices produce significant amounts of salt that is discharged into the sewer system. High salinity levels in wastewater can contribute to the degradation of groundwater quality, and can also complicate water-recycling efforts in the West.
In 2011, after hearing concerns from AMWA and other water sector organizations, EPA withdrew a plan to develop WaterSense efficiency and performance standards for self-regenerating water softeners. The August 16 letter builds on this effort by suggesting statutory language that would disallow a WaterSense designation for any products that “cause or contribute to the degradation of waste streams treated by publicly owned treatment works, recycled water quality, or create adverse impacts to water quality in receiving waters.”
The letter was sent to Reps. Bob Latta (R-Ohio) and Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.), the two House members who originally inserted the WaterSense language into H.R. 8. Both lawmakers are reportedly open to modifying their language to block certification for water softeners, but AMWA and the other stakeholder organizations are working to build support for this change on both sides of Capitol Hill. A similar WaterSense authorization is also included in the Senate’s Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) bill (S. 2848) that could receive a vote in September, so the organizations plan to engage additional senators on this topic as well.