(NSF: Ann Arbor, MI) -- NSF International, a global public health and environmental organization, has published the first American national standard for commercial and residential on-site water reuse treatment systems: NSF/ANSI 350—“Onsite residential and commercial reuse treatment systems.” The new standard complements NSF’s expanding scope of environmental standards and sustainable product standards, which help establish criteria for, and clear methods of, evaluating environmental and sustainable product claims.

NSF/ANSI 350 establishes criteria to improve awareness and acceptance of water reuse technologies that reduce impacts on the environment, municipal water and wastewater treatment facilities, and energy costs. According to the American Water Works Association, 84 percent of residential water is used in nondrinking (i.e., nonpotable) water applications such as lawn irrigation, laundry, and toilet flushing. Residential and commercial builders, architects, and regulators are turning to on-site wastewater reuse systems as a solution to water scarcity and energy costs associated with the treatment and distribution of municipal water and wastewater.

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