What's happening
This bill updates New York's water efficiency standards for plumbing fixtures, lowering allowable water usage and aligning with EPA WaterSense specifications.
Why it matters
Reduces allowable water use for common plumbing fixtures. The bill lowers the maximum permitted water flow for lavatory faucets, sink faucets, showerheads, urinals, and toilets, meaning new fixtures sold or installed in New York will use significantly less water per use, directly cutting residential and commercial water consumption.
Aligns state standards with EPA WaterSense program. By referencing specific EPA WaterSense specifications and dates, New York is ensuring that its efficiency standards match or exceed nationally recognized benchmarks for water-saving performance, making compliance and enforcement clearer for manufacturers and consumers.
Targets high-impact facilities with exceptions. The bill makes exceptions for prisons and mental health care facilities, recognizing that these environments may have unique needs, but otherwise broadly applies to public buildings and residential/commercial construction, maximizing statewide water savings.
Mandates product labeling and compliance. All applicable fixtures must be marked and labeled according to both American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and EPA WaterSense guidelines, improving transparency for buyers and ensuring that products on the market meet the new efficiency requirements.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Set Water-Saving Fixture Standards
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
32 Co-sponsors
- William Colton
- Fred Thiele
- Linda Rosenthal
- Nily Rozic
- Dan Quart
- Barbara Lifton
- Jeffrey Dinowitz
- Donna Lupardo
- Kenneth Zebrowski
- Amy Paulin
- Richard Gottfried
- Walter T. Mosley
- Sandy Galef
- Kimberly Jean-Pierre
- Felix Ortiz
- Phil Steck
- Thomas Abinanti
- Carmen De La Rosa
- David Weprin
- Robert C. Carroll
- Michaelle C. Solages
- Deborah Glick
- Charles Lavine
- Rebecca Seawright
- Harvey Epstein
- Crystal Peoples-Stokes
- Robert J. Rodriguez
- Anthony D'Urso
- Judy Griffin
- Charles Barron
- Patricia Fahy
- Billy Jones
2 Multi-sponsors
History
- Approval memo.26
- Signed chap.578
- Delivered to governor
- Returned to assembly
- Passed senateVote 58–4
- 3rd reading cal.485
- Substituted for S354A
- Referred to rules
- Delivered to senate
- Passed assembly
- Advanced to third reading cal.183
- Reported
Show 1 earlier action
- Referred to environmental conservation
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Tougher Water Use Rules
Senate Floor Calendar · Sponsor Todd Kaminsky
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2286
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 22, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. HUNTER, COLTON, THIELE, L. ROSENTHAL, ROZIC, QUART, LIFTON, DINOWITZ, LUPARDO, ZEBROWSKI, PAULIN, GOTTFRIED, MOSLEY, GALEF, JEAN-PIERRE, ORTIZ, STECK, ABINANTI, DE LA ROSA, WEPRIN, CARROLL, SOLAGES, GLICK, LAVINE, SEAWRIGHT, EPSTEIN, PEOPLES- STOKES, RODRIGUEZ -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. CYMBROWITZ, LENTOL -- read once and referred to the Committee on Environmental Conservation
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to water saving performance standards
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivisions 2, 3 and 8 of section 15-0314 of the environmental conservation law, as amended by chapter 161 of the laws of 2002, are amended to read as follows:
2. The water saving performance standards for sink and lavatory faucets, shower heads, drinking water fountains, urinals and water closets, including tank-type toilets, flushometer-tank toilets, flushometer-valve toilets, electromechanical hydraulic toilets, dual-flush toilets and all other types of toilets that use water shall be as follows:
(a) for lavatory faucets, at a constant water pressure of [eighty] sixty pounds per square inch, maximum flow shall not exceed [2.5] 1.5 gallons of water per minute (or .25 gallons per cycle for lavatory faucets designed as metering faucets) and provided that those faucet models installed in public buildings must be of a self-closing variety and must be designed to limit the discharged flow rate of water to a maximum of .5 gallons per minute at a constant water pressure of sixty pounds per square inch or must be of the metering type which limit the discharge of water to a maximum of .25 gallons per cycle; and
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04832-01-9
A. 2286 2
(b) for sink faucets, at a constant water pressure of [eighty] sixty pounds per square inch, maximum flow shall not exceed [2.5] 2.2 gallons of water per minute; and
(c) for shower heads, at a constant water pressure of [eighty] sixty pounds per square inch, maximum flow shall not exceed [2.5] 2.0 gallons of water per minute; and
(d) for urinals and associated flush-valve, if any, maximum flow shall not exceed an average of [one gallon] 0.5 gallons of water per flush (except for urinals designated and marketed exclusively for use in prisons or mental health care facilities); and
(e) except for water closets and toilets designed and marketed exclusively for use in prisons or mental health care facilities, (1) for water closets and associated flush-valve, if any, maximum flow shall not exceed an average of [one and six-tenths] 1.28 gallons of water per flush; (2) for dual-flush tank-type water closets, the average of two reduced flushes and one full flush shall not exceed an average of 1.28 gallons of water per flush; and (3) for dual-flush flushometer-valve water closets, maximum flow shall not exceed an average of 1.28 gallons of water per flush; and
(f) drinking water fountains must be of a self-closing variety.
3. Each shower head, sink or lavatory faucet, both box and product, shall be marked and labeled, and each water closet or urinal, or each component if the water closet or urinal is comprised of two or more components, both box and product, shall be marked and labeled in accordance with the latest revision of the standards designated American National Standards, written under American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and, as applicable, the following United States environmental protection agency watersense program specification: tank-type toilets (June 2, 2014), lavatory faucets (October 1, 2007), flushing urinals (October 8, 2009), and flushometer-valve toilets (December 17, 2015).
8. The commissioner, to the extent practicable and appropriate, shall utilize the latest revision of the standards designated American National Standards, written under American National Standards Institute (ANSI) procedures in determining requirements under this section, and, as applicable, the following United States environmental protection agency watersense program specification: tank-type toilets (June 2, 2014), lavatory faucets (October 1, 2007), flushing urinals (October 8, 2009), and flushometer-valve toilets (December 17, 2015).
§ 2. This act shall take effect January 1, 2022.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.