ÿþ <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" > <head><title> The Water Coalition - Contact Us </title> <link rel="stylesheet" href="site.css" type="text/css" /> </head> <body> <div class="Page"> <div class="SmallLogo"> <img src="twclogotype_sm.gif" /> </div> <div class="Logo"><img src="watersense_logo.gif" /></div><div class="HeaderImg"> <img src="waterheader.gif" /> </div> <div class="Content"> <div class="Left"> <div class="Selected"> <a href="Home.html">Home</a> </div> <div> <a href="Members.html">Members</a> </div> <div> <a href="Letters.html">Letters</a> </div> <div> <a href="ProposedBills.html">Proposed Bills</a> </div> <div> <a href="NewStories.html">News Stories</a> </div> <div> <a href="ContactUs.html">Contact Us</a> </div> <div> <a href="Links.html">Links</a> </div> </div> <div class="Right"> <div class="Details"> <b>The W.A.T.E.R. Act Coalition Supports Incentives for Water Effeciency <br />(S. 1711 / H.R. 3746  H.R. 1908 / S. 1321)</b> <br /><br /> EPA has developed an innovative program entitled WaterSense®. Products with the WaterSense&reg; label have been consumer-tested and proven to reduce water consumption by up to 30%. According to the EPA, if every household had WaterSense® products, Americans would save 3 trillion gallons of water and more than $17 billion annually.<br /><br /> S. 1711 and H.R. 3746, The Water Efficiency and Conservation Investment Act of 2009; and H.R. 1908 and S. 1321, The Water Accountability Tax Efficiency Reinvestment Act (W.A.T.E.R.), represent a bold effort to build consumer demand for WaterSense&reg; technology by providing significant tax credits to consumers who install these water-efficient products. Modeled after the federal tax credits designed to promote energy efficiency, the legislation would provide consumers a credit for the purchase of WaterSense products and improvements that include water efficient landscape irrigation. [S. 1711/H.R. 3746 provides a credit of 50% with a $750 cap; H.R. 1908/S. 1321 provides a credit of 30% with a $1500 cap.]<br /><br /> By passing this legislation, the United States will make the first step in driving consumer demand for water-efficient technology and, in turn, we will reduce consumer water use, reduce the demand on our water infrastructure, preserve our natural resources, save money, ensure our energy security, and create jobs.<br /><br /> <b><u>The Water Problem</u></b> <ul> <li> Between 1950 and 2000, the U.S. population doubled, but water demand tripled. </li><li> Americans use 43 billion gallons of water from public supply systems per day in their homes, totaling 15.7 trillion gallons per year. </li><li> According to the EPA, at least 36 states will experience severe water shortages by 2013. </li><li> More than half of the 86 million single-family homes in the United States were constructed before modern codes existed. These homes are in dire need of water-efficient upgrades, replacing leaky or inefficient faucets, showerheads, and toilets. </li></ul> <b><u>The WaterSense&reg; Solution</u></b> <ul> <li> WaterSense® products are consumer-tested and receive a high degree of overall satisfaction. </li><li> According to the EPA, WaterSense® labeled faucets use 30% less water than regular faucets, saving up to 300 gallons per faucet each year. </li><li> EPA estimates that efficient conservation of water would save the average household 35%, or $170 annually. </li><li> EPA also estimates that if a family of four installed WaterSense® faucets and toilets, they could save 17,000 gallons of water every year. </li><li> According to EPA, if every home were retrofitted with WaterSense® products, the United States could save more than 3 trillion gallons of water, for a monetary savings of $17 billion. </li><li> If one out of every 100 homes installed WaterSense® products, we could save about 100 million kWh of electricity per year, roughly equivalent to removing 15,000 cars and 80,000 tons of greenhouse gases. </li></ul> <b><u>Opportunities for Job Creation</u></b> <ul><li> Employment in construction-related jobs including plumbing fell to 7.2 million in 2008 from 8 million in 2006, and the trend has not improved. </li><li> According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters constitute one of the largest construction occupations, holding about 569,000 jobs in 2006. </li><li> Passing this legislation will create significant opportunities for America s workforce. </li></ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="Clear"></div> </div> <div class="Footer"> <span class="First"> &copy; 2010 The Water Coalition </span> </div> <div class="Clear"></div> </body> </html>