I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1967 
To encourage water efficiency. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 24, 2011 
Mr. HOLT (for himself, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. HINCHEY, 
Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. OLVER, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr. MCNERNEY, and Mr. 
PIERLUISI) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on 
Oversight and Government Reform and Armed Services, for a period to 
be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned 
A BILL 
To encourage water efficiency. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Water Advanced Tech-
nologies for Efficient Resource Use Act of 2011’’. 
SEC. 2. WATERSENSE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—There is established within the 
Environmental Protection Agency a WaterSense program 
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to identify and promote water efficient products, buildings 
and landscapes, and services in order— 
(1) to reduce water use; 
(2) to reduce the strain on water, wastewater, 
and stormwater infrastructure; 
(3) to conserve energy used to pump, heat, 
transport, and treat water; and 
(4) to preserve water resources for future gen-
erations, 
through voluntary labeling of, or other forms of commu-
nications about, products, buildings and landscapes, and 
services that meet the highest water efficiency and per-
formance standards. 
(b) DUTIES.—The Administrator of the Environ-
mental Protection Agency shall— 
(1) promote WaterSense labeled products, 
buildings and landscapes, and services in the market 
place as the preferred technologies and services 
for— 
(A) reducing water use; and 
(B) ensuring product and service perform-
ance; 
(2) work to enhance public awareness of the 
WaterSense label through public outreach, edu-
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cation, water recycling and reuse technology re-
search and development, and other means; 
(3) establish and maintain performance stand-
ards so that products, buildings and landscapes, and 
services labeled with the WaterSense label perform 
as well or better than their less efficient counter-
parts; 
(4) publicize the importance of proper installa-
tion of WaterSense plumbing products by a 
WaterSense-certified or, if WaterSense certification 
guidelines do not exist, licensed plumber or mechan-
ical contractor, and the installation, maintenance, 
and audit of WaterSense irrigation systems by a 
WaterSense-certified irrigation professional to en-
sure optimal performance; 
(5) preserve the integrity of the WaterSense 
label; 
(6) regularly review and, when appropriate, up-
date WaterSense criteria for categories of products, 
buildings and landscapes, and services, at least once 
every four years; 
(7) regularly collect and make available to the 
public summary data on the production and relative 
market shares of WaterSense labeled products, 
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buildings and landscapes, and services, at least an-
nually; 
(8) regularly estimate and make available to the 
public the water and energy savings attributable to 
the use of WaterSense labeled products, buildings 
and landscapes, and services, at least annually; 
(9) solicit comments from interested parties and 
the public prior to establishing or revising a 
WaterSense category, specification, installation cri-
terion, or other criterion (or prior to effective dates 
for any such category, specification, installation cri-
terion, or other criterion); 
(10) provide reasonable notice to interested par-
ties and the public of any changes (including effec-
tive dates), on the adoption of a new or revised cat-
egory, specification, installation criterion, or other 
criterion, along with— 
(A) an explanation of changes; and 
(B) as appropriate, responses to comments 
submitted by interested parties; 
(11) provide appropriate lead time (as deter-
mined by the Administrator) prior to the applicable 
effective date for a new or significant revision to a 
category, specification, installation criterion, or other 
criterion, taking into account the timing require-
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