BILL REQ. #:  S-2047.4 

READ FIRST TIME 02/25/09.   

     AN ACT Relating to water conservation appliances; adding a new section to chapter 19.27 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1) The legislature finds that:
     (a) Water is vital to the survival of life on the planet and is limited in supply. Communities across the state are starting to face challenges regarding water supply and water infrastructure. One way to help extend Washington's water supply is by promoting water efficiency and enhancing the market for water efficient products, programs, and practices;
     (b) Bathrooms are, by far, the largest user of water in the home, responsible for about one-half of total indoor water use;
     (c) Toilets account for approximately thirty percent of residential indoor water consumption. Toilets are a major source of wasted water due to leaks or inefficiency. Under federal and state law, toilets sold in the United States must not exceed 1.6 gallons per flush. High efficiency toilets go beyond the standard and use less than 1.3 gallons per flush. Power assist and pressure assist toilets use even less water, some even less than one gallon of water per flush. If every home in the United States replaced old toilets with new high efficiency toilets, the savings would be more than nine hundred billion gallons of water a year;
     (d) Bathroom faucets account for more than fifteen percent of indoor household water use, more than one trillion gallons of water in the United States. High efficiency bathroom sink faucets and accessories such as aerators can reduce the standard flow of a bathroom faucet by more than thirty percent without sacrificing performance. By installing a high efficiency bathroom sink faucet, an average household will save more than five hundred gallons of water each year;
     (e) Showering is one of the top uses of residential water in the United States, representing approximately seventeen percent of indoor water use--more than 1.2 trillion gallons of water each year. A full bath tub requires about seventy gallons of water, while taking a five-minute shower uses ten to twenty-five gallons; and
     (f) Besides saving water and reducing a customer's costs, water efficiency offers many other benefits:
     (i) Less water withdrawn from rivers, lakes, and aquifers, which keeps these water bodies healthy;
     (ii) Improved water quality due to increased river flows;
     (iii) Less energy required to pump and treat the water, therefore less greenhouse gas emissions;
     (iv) Less wastewater that requires collection, treatment, and disposal; and
     (v) Less pollution from treated wastewater in our streams and waterways.
     (2) It is therefore the intent of the legislature to encourage water efficiency by requiring the building code council to set a policy regarding high efficiency toilets.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 19.27 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) By January 1, 2014, all toilets, other than institutional and commercial toilets, toilets used by children in day care facilities, and toilets used in bariatric applications, sold or installed in new residences in this state must be high efficiency toilets.
     (2) By January 1, 2014, all urinals, other than institutional urinals, sold or installed in new residences in this state must be high efficiency urinals or nonwater supplied urinals.
     (3) Installation of the appliance must be constructed so that the discharge slope of the drain pipe is at a one-quarter inch per ten feet slope between the appliance and the exit from the dwelling.
     (4) This act applies only to properties served by a sewer system.
     (5) The definitions in this subsection apply throughout this section unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
     (a) "Commercial toilets" means models that utilize a nontank pressurized flushing device, which means a device where a valve is attached to a pressurized water supply pipe and designed that when actuated, it opens the line for direct flow into the fixture at a rate and quantity to properly operate the fixture and gradually closes in order to avoid water hammer. The pipe to which this device is connected is of sufficient size that, when open, the device delivers water at a sufficient rate of flow for flushing purposes.
     (b) "High efficiency toilet" means a toilet that meets the performance, testing, and labeling requirements prescribed by American society of mechanical engineers A112.19.2/Canadian standards association B45.1-2008 standard ceramic plumbing fixtures and, if applicable, American society of mechanical engineers A112.19.14-2006 standard six liter water closets equipped with a dual flushing device and is either of the following:
     (i) A dual flush toilet with an effective flush volume that does not exceed 1.28 gallons as determined by American society of mechanical engineers A112.19.14-2006 standard six liter water closets equipped with a dual flushing device, where effective flush volume is defined as the composite, average flush volume of two reduced flushes and one full flush; or
     (ii) A single flush toilet where the effective flush volume may not exceed 1.28 gallons as determined by the test procedures contained in American society of mechanical engineers A112.19.2/Canadian standards association B45.1-2008 standard ceramic plumbing fixtures.
     (c) "High efficiency urinal" means a urinal that uses no more than 0.5 gallons per flush as determined by the test procedures contained in American society of mechanical engineers A112.19.2/Canadian standards association B45.1-2008 standard ceramic plumbing fixtures.
     (d) "Institutional toilet" means any toilet fixture with a design not typically found in residential or commercial applications or that is designed for a specialized application, including, but not limited to, wall-mounted wall outlet toilets, toilets used in jails or prisons, toilets used in bariatrics applications, and child toilets used in day care facilities.
     (e) "Nonwater supplied urinal" means a urinal that meets the performance, testing, and labeling requirements prescribed by either American society of mechanical engineers standard A112.19.19-2006 vitreous china nonwater urinals or the international association of plumbing and mechanical officials American national standards institute Z124.9-2004 standard plastic urinal fixtures as appropriate.
     (f) "Urinal" means a water using urinal.
     (g) "Wall-mounted wall outlet toilets" means models that are mounted on the wall and discharge to the drainage system through the wall.