I have several posters on display in my office — some of which were contenders in the World Plumbing Council’s 2011 International Student Poster Competition. The theme of that competition was, “Water is Life.” The reason I reflect upon this truthful motto is the focus of this article.
Maintaining a certain water quality — whether for direct consumption, cooking, or bathing — is essential for the prevention of disease and other detrimental health effects. This has been understood for several centuries. Historically, the responsibility of maintaining water quality fell upon municipalities or water purveyors working with the municipality. We should also acknowledge that a large percentage of the population receives their water from natural springs and underground wells. Due to the nature of these two sources, it has often been assumed the water quality is good. Too often, this is not the case. Historically, consumers have accepted and used water as it’s provided, whether it be municipal or naturally sourced.
Today, consumers are becoming more aware of the risks due to trace contaminates. These contaminants are not the only water quality issues that concern consumers. Attributes such as hard water, scale formation, alkalinity, among others, are all considerations in evaluating the quality of their water. Consumers understand that the quality of water that they receive can, and should, be improved. This has driven the consumer demand for a higher quality water than what they receive from their well or municipal water supply.
As a result, homeowners and end users are increasingly proactive in the care and treatment of their water systems. This has led to the decentralization of the water treatment systems industry. As technology and understanding of the various chemicals found in water improves, water treatment systems are becoming more sophisticated and can target specific contaminates. This trend is driven not only by traditional water quality concerns, but also from emerging threats such as agricultural run-off and industrial pollution.
Keeping in line with industry trends, ASSE International has published (and continues to develop) product standards related to water treatment systems and the efficacy and sustainability of the systems. Alternate water sources requiring treatment are also included in these standards.
Relative ASSE standards for water treatment devices:
ASSE 1001, Atmospheric Type Vacuum Breakers
ASSE 1086, Reverse Osmosis Water Efficiency – Drinking Water
ASSE 1087, Commercial and Food Service Water Treatment Equipment Utilizing Drinking Water
ASSE 1090, Drinking Water Treatment Systems Using Air as a Source
ASSE LEC 2002, Shower Filtration Fitting for Reduction of Chloramine
ASSE LEC 2006, Point of Entry Reverse Osmosis Systems
ASSE LEC 2008, Anion Exchange Nitrates
ASSE LEC 2012, Packaged Plumbing and Mechanical Systems for Continuous Microbiological Mitigation
ASSE standards for water treatment devices under development:
ASSE LEC 2011, Legionella Hot Water Treatment
ASSE 1088, Water Softener Regeneration – Brine Reclaim
ASSE 1376, Ultra and Nano Drinking Water Treatment Systems
Overview of ASSE standards for water treatment devices:
ASSE 1086 evaluates the efficiency of reverse osmosis systems that are compliant to NSF 58, Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Treatment Systems. This standard sets the method for determining the efficiency of the device. This allows the consumer the ability to make an informed decision when purchasing a device and to include consideration of the efficiency of the device.
ASSE 1087 covers water treatment for commercial applications. While standards for residential treatment devices previously existed, there were many types that had no standards for commercial use, or where one did exist, the existing standard did not cover devices with the higher flow rates often found in commercial applications.
ASSE 1090 was derived from ASSE LEC 2004, Listing Evaluation Criteria for Drinking Water Treatment Systems Using Air as a Source. This is for devices that collect water from the atmosphere. The quality of the collected water needs to be addressed. This standard evaluates the drinking water production rate, energy efficiency, the ability of the device to create microbiologically safe drinking water, and the chemical reduction performance for system filtration. This standard and associated product is ideally suited for areas where water is scarce.
ASSE LEC 2002 was developed to test disinfectant chemicals typically found in potable water supply lines, such as chlorine and chloramine. The product improves the showering experience by reducing aesthetic contaminants from supply water.
ASSE LEC 2006 covers contaminant reduction for point of entry (POE) reverse osmosis (RO) systems used to treat drinking water. RO water treatment equipment reduces the total dissolved solids, heavy metals, microbes, inorganics, and organic water contaminants. POE ROs are typically installed after the water meter in residences or businesses.
ASSE LEC 2008 covers self-regeneration anion exchange systems designed to reduce nitrates from drinking water. The systems covered by this LEC uses anion exchange media that prevents nitrate dumping. Depending on the influent water quality, anion exchange systems, if not regenerated correctly, can dump or increase the amount of nitrate in the drinking water. This standard evaluates the performance of these systems for failure to prevent dumping.
ASSE LEC 2012 is for packaged mechanical plumbing devices designed to inactivate and disinfect waterborne pathogens and microorganisms within hot water distribution systems. This standard evaluates the device’s ability to maintain and control temperatures to provide disinfection, as well as the structural integrity of the device.
ASSE LEC 2011, which is expected to be published in the second quarter of 2022, is specifically designed to address Legionella reduction treatment devices. Devices evaluated to this criterion shall demonstrate reduction of at least 99.9999% for systems used for drinking water. For systems used for showers, the reduction claims must be greater than 99.9%.
ASSE 1088 applies to devices installed downstream of a water softener’s regeneration effluent. This device captures and treats a significant concentration of the regeneration effluent and processes it. This allows the treated effluent to be returned to the water softener system. While these devices are not treating the water for the end use, they are a subset of the system, which helps to address the sustainability of the system.
ASSE 1376 is a proposed standard. ASSE is currently seeking members for the working group that will develop this standard, which will cover ultra and nano drinking water treatment systems intended for use in residential, commercial, and food service applications, and specify requirements for materials, performance tests, and markings. Ultra and nano drinking water treatment systems, to be covered by this standard, focus on the reduction of contaminants such as suspended particulates, microorganisms, and endotoxins in potable water.
Consumers have more control over their water quality than ever before. The demand for more targeted, customizable improvements toward sustainability and efficiency will continue. Introduction of innovations in smart technology, rainwater harvesting, and decentralized water recycling will only accelerate the demand. ASSE International will continue to partner with industry and consumers to ensure that with new technologies and innovations, there are appropriate means to evaluate the performance, claims, and safety of systems as they are introduced to market.
