By Angela Liu
June 2, 2008

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other federal agencies have recently begun to respond to President Bush’s Executive Order 13423 (EO) issued in January 2007. The ‘action-forcing’ provision of the EO is guided by an effort to address the role that federal agencies play in contributing to Greenhouse Gas emissions and climate change. The provision requires federal agencies to “reduce environmental, transportation, and energy-related activities.” Section 2 (c) specifically mandates federal agencies to reduce water consumption, relative to the baseline of the agency’s water consumption in fiscal year 2007, through life-cycle cost-effective measures by two percent annually or 16 percent in total by the end of fiscal year 2015.

EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Benjamin H. Grumbles, in testimony before the House Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, reported his office was designated by the EO to be responsible for developing Water Efficiency Guidance for all agencies. The EPA Office of Water established a plan based on the three R’s of water sustainability: Reducing waste and inefficiency; Re-using water; and Restoring watersheds. Grumbles stated that, “The three R’s are soundly based in science and policy…Reducing water use is a primary goal that responds directly to the EO.”

The EO outlines a three-step process of compliance:

1. Baseline development – calculate a federal agency water usage baseline of FY 2007, defined as gallons per gross square foot per year. All future reduction goals will be measured relative to this baseline

2. Reduction of water use intensity – identify and implement life-cycle cost-effective water savings measures to achieve the 16 percent overall reduction of water intensity by end of FY 2015

3. Reporting – agencies are required to provide reports on agency implementation of (E.O. 13423) to the Chairman of the Council of Environmental Quality and the Office of management and Budget not less often than once every two years

The Water Efficiency Guidance also encourages federal agencies to include WaterSense products when making “off-the-shelf” (easily purchased and installed products such as toilets, showerheads, faucets) procurement to meet the water usage intensity reduction requirement. WaterSense is a voluntary public-private partnership program funded by the EPA that distributes easy-to-identify labels to products. The WaterSense labeled products are certified to reduce water use and consumption by at least 20 percent compared to conventional products. WaterSense labeled products are independently tested and certified to meet EPA’s criteria. More information on the WaterSense program can be found at www.epa.gov/watersense.