Harold Tapley said it best.
“Are we only here to motivate the change or are we here to make the change?”
Our Mission
At Backwash Recycling USA, our mission is to prevent the single largest source of unnecessary water waste in the pool industry — backwashing. We believe pools can operate cleaner, smarter, and more sustainably by keeping treated water where it belongs: in the pool, not down the drain. We exist to create a future where water waste is no longer an accepted part of pool ownership — and where every pool, commercial or residential, becomes part of the solution.
The Scale of the Problem
The Scale of the Problem
Every day, millions of gallons of perfectly good pool water are discarded during backwashing and filter cleaning. This water is fully treated, heated, chemically balanced, and completely reusable — yet it’s lost every single week in nearly every pool across the country.
— 3,713 gallons wasted every second in the U.S.
— Over 117 billion gallons wasted every year
— Backwashing causes 20% of total annual water loss
— More than 50% of all pool chemicals are discarded during backwash
— By 2040, wasted water from pools will double
Regulations & Permits: The Shift Toward Water Loss
As the pool industry continues to push for more efficient pumps, energy-saving motors, and advanced filtration systems, one issue outpaces them all — water loss. Across the United States, regulators are no longer focused solely on how much power a pool uses, but on how much treated water it wastes.
Backwash discharge, filter-cleaning wastewater, and uncontrolled draining are now major factors in pool permitting, inspections, and long-term compliance. Cities and states are tightening restrictions on where wastewater goes, how it’s disposed of, and how much can be wasted in a year.
This shift is already visible in multiple regions:
— Southern Nevada prohibits backwash and pool wastewater from entering storm drains or septic systems without approval.
— Nevada State Health Code requires all pool backwash to be routed into an approved sanitary sewer system.
— Massachusetts 105 CMR 435.26 restricts draining or backwash discharge near public surface-water supplies without authorization.
— California drought regulations have limited pool draining and refilling, forcing operators to account for every gallon of water loss.
— Counties nationwide now require permits or fines for improper wastewater discharge.
Across the country, water scarcity — not electricity use — is becoming the driver of new pool regulations. The industry is being judged by how much water it wastes, not just how much power it uses.
Why This Matters
The pool industry is at a turning point. Water scarcity is reshaping how pools are built, permitted, and operated. As drought conditions spread and municipal water supplies tighten, pools face more scrutiny than ever before.
The issue isn’t evaporation — it’s preventable loss.
Every backwash cycle wastes treated water that homeowners and operators already paid to filter, heat, and chemically balance.
This is more than an operational problem.
It is becoming a regulatory, environmental, and economic problem.
If we do nothing, pools will become harder to permit, harder to justify, and more expensive to operate. The time to change is now.