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Water Efficient

Point-of-Use Reverse
Osmosis Systems

Throughout the United States, millions of households have installed point-
of-use reverse osmosis (RO) systems, which are water treatment systems
connected to a single fixture (e.g., at the kitchen sink) that remove
contaminants from water. While RO systems work to rid household water of
possible contaminants, they can waste a great deal of water in the
treatment process. To help reduce water waste, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's (EPA's) WaterSense® program has developed a draft
specification to label water-efficient and high-performing RO systems.

RO SYSTEM EFFICIENCY

Reverse osmosis is the process by which pressure
forces water through a semi-permeabie membrane,
creating a stream of treated water, called
"permeate," and a stream of reject water called
"concentrate" or "brine." These systems can
potentially remove water contaminants, including
lead, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), per- and
polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), arsenic, bacteria,
and viruses. While RO systems can improve water
quality, these systems can also generate a
significant amount of water waste in the process of
removing contaminants. In fact, a typical RO system
sends five gallons of water or more down the drain
for every one gallon of treated water it produces!

Once the WaterSense specification is finalized,
consumers will be able to look for and install
WaterSense labeled RO systems that are
significantly more water-efficient than typical RO
systems, sending just 2.3 gallons of water or less
down the drain for every gallon of treated water it
produces. The WaterSense specification will also
ensure that labeled RO systems are just as effective
at providing the high-quality drinking water that
consumers expect from these products.

FUTURE SAVINGS

For consumers who are planning to replace their RO
system at the point of water use in the future, selecting a
WaterSense labeled model will reduce water use on
average by nearly 3,200 gallons of water per year—or
48,000 gallons of water over the system's lifetime—
compared to the water use of a typical point-of-use RO
system. In fact, if all point-of-use RO systems sold in the
United States were WaterSense labeled, we could save
nearly 3.2 billion gallons of water across the country
annually, which is equivalent to the annual household
water needs of more than 40,000 American homes.

As with all WaterSense labeled products, once the
specification is final, all WaterSense labeled RO systems
must be tested and independently certified to ensure that
they meet the EPA criteria for efficiency and
performance.

LOOK FOR THE WATERSENSE LABEL IN THE FUTURE!

Once EPA finalizes its specification,
consumers can look for WaterSense
labeled RO systems to provide a
more water-efficient option for
treating water. For more information,
visit www.epa.gov/watersense.

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