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

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