To help increase water efficiency in homes and hotels, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing its intent to develop a WaterSense® specification for bath and shower diverters. A bath and shower diverter is a device that diverts the flow of water either toward the tub spout or toward a showerhead. Some of these products don't stop all of the water coming from the tub spout, and some develop leaks as they age. In fact, old, leaky diverters can waste an average of 1,500 gallons of water per year and as much as 4,200 gallons of water per year.

With this announcement, EPA is releasing a Notice of Intent (NOI) that describes the efficiency and performance criteria WaterSense is considering in order for bath and shower diverters to earn the WaterSense label, as well as the technical issues that still need to be more fully defined and resolved. Once EPA has gathered input, drafted, and finalized a specification, utilities and other organizations can encourage consumers and hotels to look for the WaterSense label on bath and shower diverters to reduce water waste in their homes and communities.

On February 8, 2017, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Eastern, EPA will host a teleconference and webinar with stakeholders to discuss the NOI. Call-in and other meeting information will be emailed upon registering, and materials will be sent to registered participants via email prior to the meeting date.

EPA is interested in receiving your input!

If you have comments or suggestions on the process for developing a WaterSense specification for bath and shower diverters, please contact us at watersense-products@erg.com.

For any questions regarding the WaterSense program in general, please contact the WaterSense Helpline at (866) WTR-SENS (987-7367) or email watersense@epa.gov.