PHTA Opens Public Review of Revised Water Conservation Standard
The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance is seeking public comments on a proposed revision of its water conservation standard for residential and public pools, spas, portable spas and swim spas equipped with filtration and circulation systems.
The proposed PHTA-13 Standard for Water Conservation Efficiency updates ANSI/APSP/ICC-13 2017. New content addresses evaporation mitigation, leak detection and response, water-conditioning devices, water reclamation and reuse, and other conservation measures.
Nonmandatory best practices and additional water-saving measures previously included in the standard’s appendices have been removed from the draft and will be published separately in a free PHTA-13 Resource Guide. The revision also incorporates current references to ANSI/PHTA/ICC-11 for water quality requirements in public pools and hot tubs or spas.
“Our goal was to develop a standard that is practical, understandable and focused on responsible water conservation,” says Matthew Ryther, chair of the PHTA-13 Standard Writing Committee. “I encourage everyone with an interest in the industry to review the draft and provide input.”
The 45-day public review was announced in the Sept. 18, 2026, edition of ANSI Standards Action. PHTA invites industry professionals and other interested or affected parties to submit comments as part of the consensus-development process.
The draft and submission instructions are available on PHTA’s public comment webpage at phta.org/standards-codes/get-involved/submit-public-comment/. Questions can be directed to standards@phta.org.
