Trump wants to ‘make America's showers great again' — but water bills are boiling over in certain states

Yahoo

19-04-2025

President Donald Trump says he's going to 'make America's showers great again' by easing restrictions on water flow.
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The executive order signed earlier this month 'frees Americans from excessive regulations that turned a basic household item into a bureaucratic nightmare,' according to a White House fact sheet. "No longer will showerheads be weak and worthless."
As he signed the order, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that 'ridiculous' water pressure requires him to stand in the shower for 15 minutes to get his hair wet.
The change comes down to the definition of showerhead. Showerheads manufactured since 1994 cannot discharge more than 2.5 gallons of water per minute to abide with federal laws.
In the case of showerheads with multiple nozzles, President Obama made it so this restriction applied to the entire showerhead overall rather than each nozzle. Trump wants each individual nozzle to be considered a showerhead, so that every nozzle can produce 2.5 gallons of water per minute.
He has directed Energy Secretary Chris Wright to rescind the change by the Obama administration. 'We're going to get rid of those restrictions. You have many places where they have water, they have so much water they don't know what to do with it. But people buy a house, they turn on the sink, and water barely comes out. They take a shower, water barely comes out. And it's an unnecessary restriction,' said the president. The executive order will also impact sinks and toilets.
Critics argue that Trump's executive order is irrelevant since modern showerheads have no trouble delivering good water pressure and meeting water flow standards.
'Showerheads seem to be a pet peeve of President Trump—he keeps bringing them up,' said Andrew deLaski, executive director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP), to Fast Company. 'But his concerns are outdated — while there were problems with showerheads sold in the 1990s, those problems have long since been solved by manufacturers' modern designs.'
As for consumers, higher water usage could lead to higher monthly utility bills. About 17% of water used in American homes is for showers and 26.7% is for toilets, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the cost of water has surged across the U.S. in recent decades. The EPA estimates that 9.2% to 14.6% of all U.S. households don't have affordable access to water services.
Bills are rising faster in some regions, as recent research points out.
The average American uses about 82 gallons of water every day, and the average family spends more than $1,000 on water every year, according to the EPA.
The Bank of America recently spotted that water bills are rising much faster in certain states.
Last year, water bills in the Mid-Atlantic, Pacific, and West North Central regions rose faster than the national rate. The Mid-Atlantic (New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania) saw the biggest price jump in 2024, with a year-over-year increase of 9.5%, compared to the national increase of 6.8%.
'It's possible that labor-related inflation and seasonal charges due to weather in these states are more directly passed onto to customers,' said the report. 'Various factors, such as infrastructure age, localized climate risks, and respective state policies, can influence regional water rate disparities.'
The Midwest was the only region with water bills higher than the overall U.S. level for the past two years, and the Northeast was the only region to be consecutively lower.
Higher-income households saw the biggest increases, but lower-income households typically pay more as a percentage of their income.
'And with local utilities contending with rising operational costs caused in part by climate change-induced shifts, more households could fall into 'water debt,'' noted the report.
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With eased regulations on water flow — combined with rising prices and growing water shortages — it's possible those bills will jump even higher. But there are measures you can take to keep your water bill from boiling over.
Simple measures include taking shorter showers or cutting back on baths. The EPA says a full bathtub uses up to 70 gallons of water while a five-minute shower uses 10 to 25 gallons. You can also turn off the tap while you're brushing your teeth or lathering soap on your hands.
You could also look into installing water-saving fixtures, including faucets, showerheads and toilets. Products with the WaterSense label are more water-efficient (and equally as effective) than standard models — and can save you hundreds of dollars a year. Also check for leaky taps and toilets, which can literally lead to money down the drain.
While there's an upfront cost, replacing older dishwashers and washing machines with Energy Star-certified appliances can save you money in the long run. For example, an Energy Star-certified dishwasher saves about 5,800 gallons over the course of its lifetime — and only costs about $50 a year to run. You may be eligible for a rebate to offset the cost of purchasing energy-efficient appliances.
If you have a lawn, water it before sunrise or after sunset (during the day, the water could evaporate in the sun rather than sinking into the soil). Also, use sprinklers with low-flow sprinkler heads or invest in smart irrigation controllers so you can adjust your watering levels based on weather and other factors.
You could even swap out your grass for native or drought-tolerant plants — known as xeriscaping — which could lead to substantial savings down the road.
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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.