Eliminating water waste should be a top priority for every community.
For some communities, however, water conservation practices are the only way to make sure that everyone has enough access to this life-giving commodity.
In some areas, the price of water access has skyrocketed for a wide variety of reasons.
That’s why there has been a concerted effort to improve water efficiency technologies in the world of kitchen faucets. Low-flow faucets can save money and water without sacrificing lifestyle standards.
Water efficiency is rated by a measurement called “gallons per minute.” It is often abbreviated as “GPM” by manufacturers and industry professionals. When shopping for your next kitchen faucet, you’ll need to ensure that your new product complies with whatever local water conservation legislation exists.
What States Have Active Water Efficiency Legislation?
In the United States, there are 4 primary states which have active laws that require kitchen faucets to follow specific performance standards. Although retailers are not supposed to ship non-complying faucets to your state, not every seller may realize there are certain laws which must be followed.
To be certain you are in compliance, here are the water conservation standards which are currently active.
In California: Kitchen faucets that are newly installed must be compliant with a 1.8 GPM standard. Faucets that were installed before 2016 are still allowed to be at 2.2 GPM. New low-flow aerators can be installed in many older faucets to have them become compliant on a voluntary basis.
In Georgia: Water efficiency technologies are covered under the Water Stewardship Act. New kitchen faucets are not to exceed 2.0 GPM. All new faucets must also be WaterSense certified by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
In New York: New York City has a stringent water conservation code that is in place that governs the flow rate for new kitchen faucets. A new faucet is not allowed to exceed 2.2 GPM when at 60 PSI within the city. Outside of the city, laws are implemented at the local level, so check local coding requirements.
In Texas: Efficiency standards were updated in 2014 to include all household faucets, but kitchen faucets were unaffected by the update. New installations are not to exceed 2.2 GPM throughout the state.
How Can I Tell If My Kitchen Faucet is Compliant?
The easiest way to tell if your kitchen faucet is currently compliant with local regulations is to measure the amount of time it takes to fill a one gallon container with water. If your local laws require a 2.0 GPM or less, it should take 30 seconds to fill that one gallon container.
It may take 3-5 measurements to have an accurate measurement of how your kitchen faucet performs.
You should measure the performance of any new kitchen faucet to ensure its compliance, even if the manufacturer states the product is compliant. Overages are often the homeowner’s responsibility, even if the error is unintended and was being avoided in good faith.
Water efficiency ratings are extremely important. With the best kitchen faucet reviews and trial reports, you’ll be able to find the perfect product to meet your needs today.