“Every drop counts.” That’s the motto for WaterSense, a new
partnership program the U.S. EPA recently launched to stimulate
more efficient use of water in homes and businesses. America’s
supplies are precious, but not unlimited. We have long enjoyed
abundant water supplies from rivers, lakes, streams and
underground sources for drinking, bathing, recreation and
sustaining ecosystems. Growing demand and competing needs
increase, however, as communities expand, businesses grow and
changing weather conditions create unpredictable rainfall
patterns. Growing and shifting populations call for not only
investment and maintenance of the infrastructure but also
innovative approaches to emerging water and wastewater issues.
The need for change is underscored by a recent U.S. Government
Accountability Office survey, reporting that 36 states
anticipate local, regional or statewide water shortages by 2013,
even without drought conditions. In addition, the wastewater and
drinking water systems are aging. Some system compon