What's happening
This bill updates water-saving standards for faucets, toilets, urinals, and shower heads to stricter, more efficient limits.
Why it matters
Stricter water limits mean everyday fixtures like sinks, showers, and toilets will use significantly less water per use, which can lead to lower utility bills and less strain on local water supplies.
By aligning state standards with EPA WaterSense specifications, the law sets a higher bar for product efficiency and encourages manufacturers and building owners to adopt best-in-class water-saving technologies.
The exemption for prisons and mental health facilities recognizes specific institutional needs, but otherwise, the law pushes all other sectors—homes, businesses, and public buildings—toward greater conservation, potentially reducing demand on municipal infrastructure.
Labeling and certification requirements will make it easier for consumers and builders to identify compliant products, supporting informed choices and consistent enforcement of these new water-saving standards.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Tougher Water Use Rules
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Substituted by A2286
- Ordered to third reading cal.485
- Committee discharged and committed to rules
- Print number 354a
- Amend and recommit to environmental conservation
- 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.
Set Water-Saving Fixture Standards
Signed by Governor · Sponsor Pamela J. Hunter
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
354--A
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 9, 2019
Introduced by Sens. KAMINSKY, ADDABBO, KAVANAGH, SANDERS, SERRANO -read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Environmental Conservation -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
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
(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
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04832-03-9
S. 354--A 2
(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.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to water saving performance standards
Purpose
To raise the standards for water-efficient plumbing and appliances in New York State in alignment with federal guidelines issued by the Envi- ronmental Protection Agency.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 amends Chapter 161 of 2002 to provide that water efficiency standards for plumbing fixtures be raised to align with guidelines developed under the federal Water Sense program specifications deter- mined for tank-type toilets in 2014, lavatory faucets in 2007, and flushing urinals in 2009. All plumbing fixtures are required to be labeled accordingly. Exceptions are made for plumbing fixtures installed in prisons and mental health care facilities.
Section 2 provides that this act shall take effect on January 1st, 2022.
Existing law
§ 15-0314 of the Environmental Conservation Law sets the maximum flow rates for plumbing fixtures to be sold or installed in New York State. These standards were last updated in 2002 and do not conform to federal guidelines.
Justification
New York is lucky to have some of the most plentiful fresh water in the country-a fact that is critical to the tourism and agriculture indus- tries in Upstate New York. However, we have seen that severe droughts have become more common is other parts of the country and the world.
Over the next several years, maintaining a plentiful supply of fresh water will be essential to maintaining our economic edge and our way of life.
In 2006, the federal Environmental Protection Agency released voluntary guidelines for water-efficient fixtures under a program called "Water- Sense" which go well beyond our current standards. At least four other states, including California and Texas, have made these standards manda- tory.
Legislative history
S.4591-B- 2017/2018
Fiscal implications
None.
Local fiscal implications
None
Effective date
January 1, 2022.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.