WaterSense® Labeled 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 a 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-permeable 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! WaterSense labeled RO systems 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 also ensures that labeled RO systems are just as effective at providing the high-quality drinking water that consumers expect from these products. As with all WaterSense labeled products, all WaterSense labeled RO systems must be tested and independently certified to ensure that they meet the EPA criteria for efficiency and performance. WaterSense Savings For consumers who are planningto replace their RO system at the point of water use, selecting a WaterSense labeled model can reduce water use by more than 3,100 gallons of water per year on average—or 47,000 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 more than 3.1 billion gallons of water across the country annually, which is equivalent to the annual household water needs of more than 40,000 American homes. Look for the WaterSense Label Consumers can lookfor WaterSense labeled RO systems to provide a more water-efficient option for treating water. For more information, visit www.epa.gov/ watersense. To learn more about WaterSense, visitwww.epa.gov/watersense. (866) WTR-SENS (987-7367) \ watersense@epa.gov oEPA 832-F-24-020 November 2024 ------- |