Agency Specifies Criteria for Flushing Urinals
The WaterSense program announced a draft Specification for High-Efficiency Flushing Urinals that provides the criteria that flushing urinals will need to meet to earn the WaterSense label.
The specification is designed to ensure not only sustainable, efficient water use but also a high level of user performance satisfaction. To meet the draft specification, the maximum flush volume of flushing urinal fixtures and their pressurized flushing devices (flushometer valves) cannot exceed 0.5 gallons per flush (gpf). While the current federal standard for commercial urinals is 1.0 gpf, some older urinals use as much as five times that amount. By installing these high-efficiency flushing urinals, facilities will be able to save more than 2,300 gallons of water per fixture each year.
With the announcement of this draft specification, manufacturers, retailers, and distributors that produce or sell high-efficiency pressurized flushing devices and/or flushing urinal fixtures are invited to join the program. Manufacturers that become WaterSense partners commit to labeling products that meet the specification within one year. Please visit the Partners section of the WaterSense Web site for more information on joining as well as the specification development process.
If you have questions, contact the WaterSense Helpline at 866.987.7367 or e-mail watersense@epa.gov. Information on the draft specification can be found at http://www.epa.gov/watersense/specs/urinal_spec.htm.