Last November, EPA’s WaterSense program issued a notice of intent to develop efficiency and performance specifications for cation water softeners. ACWA, along with a coalition of other organizations including the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies and various ACWA member agencies, asked EPA to consider the impacts of salts on water quality before proceeding with the NOI. When this letter did not receive a satisfactory answer, the coalition asked EPA to stop working on the NOI.
EPA notified the coalition in August that they would not move forward with the NOI. At a meeting in Washington DC this week, EPA once again emphasized to stakeholders that they had “pushed the pause button” on this effort. ACWA will continue to follow this issue closely as several organizations including NRDC, the Alliance for Water Efficiency and Clean Water America Alliance are working to encourage EPA move forward with the NOI.