Previous Requirements
In This Section
The following federal requirements drove EPA and other federal agencies to conserve water, but have been superceded by more recent requirements:
Executive Order 13123 Water Conservation Requirements
Signed in 1999, E.O. 13123, "Greening the Government Through Efficient Energy Management" (PDF) (12 pp, 108K, About PDF) directed agencies to identify conservation opportunities and install cost-effective water-conserving fixtures and other equipment: E.O. 13123, which has been superceded by E.O. 13423 requirements, required that 50 percent of facilities develop water management plans by 2008, and 80 percent of facilities develop water management plans by 2010. EPA had already completed water management plans at 100 percent of its reporting laboratories by 2007.
Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct 1992) Water Conservation Requirements
The Energy Policy Act of 1992 required federal agencies to implement lifecycle cost-effective water conservation measures with payback periods of 10 years or less. This meant that agencies such as EPA had to use water conservation measures or products that took no more than 10 years to recover costs through savings on water bills.