WaterSense® Labeled Homes and the Future of Virginia Housing

By Eric S. Cavallo, Founder/President, Earthly Infrastructure® Building and Infrastructure Development Inc. | Virginia Licensed Contractor (Commercial Building) | Member, International Code Council (ICC) | Alternate Member, Virginia Beach Board of Zoning Appeals | Stakeholder Advisor, Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), SB195 Stakeholder Advisory Committee

As the Commonwealth of Virginia prepares for the next generation of housing development, water resource management has emerged as a central concern for local governments, regulatory agencies, and the building industry alike. Against this backdrop, WaterSense® labeled homes represent a critical advancement in sustainable residential construction—one that aligns environmental performance with code compliance, affordability, and long-term infrastructure planning.

Developed and administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the WaterSense® program establishes rigorous standards for residential water efficiency. To earn the WaterSense® label, a home must be verified by a licensed certification provider to use at least 30 percent less water than comparable new construction, without sacrificing performance or occupant comfort. This includes the installation of high-efficiency plumbing fixtures, pressure-regulated irrigation systems, and conservation-oriented site design strategies—all subject to field verification and performance testing.

At Earthly Infrastructure®, we view WaterSense® compliance not as a marketing distinction, but as a baseline requirement for ethical and forward-looking development. In a coastal state like Virginia—where groundwater depletion, saltwater intrusion, and stormwater system overload are persistent concerns—integrating water-efficient housing into the broader regulatory framework is no longer optional. It is essential.

To that end, Virginia’s housing future must reflect a coordinated policy shift. This includes potential updates to the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (USBC) to more explicitly support EPA-recognized standards, enhanced guidance to local plan review officials, and the development of municipal incentives that reward certified water-efficient developments. The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) is uniquely positioned to lead these efforts by encouraging localities to integrate WaterSense® adoption into comprehensive planning, utility coordination, and affordable housing strategies.

As a licensed commercial contractor and a sitting member of the Virginia Beach Board of Zoning Appeals, I have witnessed firsthand how zoning decisions, infrastructure burdens, and permit review processes can either facilitate or hinder sustainable progress. WaterSense® labeled homes offer municipalities a practical, performance-based pathway to reduce utility demand, mitigate environmental risk, and meet housing targets without compromising public health or safety.

Virginia has the opportunity to set a national precedent—one that links regulatory excellence with environmental responsibility. By prioritizing WaterSense® standards within housing policy, zoning reform, and builder education, we can deliver measurable gains in sustainability, public trust, and long-term cost savings.

The future of housing in Virginia must be built not just to shelter—but to sustain.

Built safe. Built in compliance. Built for Virginia.

Chesapeake Bay by the Book: What ESC and SWPPP Really Protect

In the Commonwealth of Virginia, environmental compliance in construction is not a symbolic gesture — it is a legal obligation. Among the most critical regulatory instruments governing land disturbance are erosion and sediment control (ESC) plans and stormwater pollution prevention plans (SWPPPs). These protocols form the operational foundation for safeguarding the Chesapeake Bay, a nationally protected watershed subject to overlapping federal, state, and local regulations.

Within this framework, construction activities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed must comply with statutory requirements set forth under the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act, the Virginia Erosion and Sediment Control Law, the Virginia Stormwater Management Act, and the Virginia Stormwater Management Program (VSMP). These laws establish mandatory practices for minimizing runoff, controlling sediment transport, and ensuring pollutants do not enter navigable waters, wetlands, or environmentally sensitive receiving channels. Noncompliance may result in formal enforcement actions, civil penalties, stop-work orders, or permit revocation — reflecting the seriousness with which the Commonwealth enforces its environmental code.

ESC and SWPPP best practices are designed to address risk proactively at the site level. These include early stabilization of disturbed areas, phased clearing and grading operations to minimize exposed soils, preservation of vegetated buffers, and strategic installation of structural controls such as diversion dikes, sediment traps, inlet protection, and compost filter socks. Site-specific SWPPP documentation must outline pollution prevention strategies, delineate responsible parties, and provide inspection and maintenance schedules — all conforming to approved design standards and rainfall frequency data as required under the US EPA’s NPDES permitting system.

Eric S. Cavallo, Founder and President of Earthly Infrastructure® Building and Infrastructure Development Inc., has made regulatory compliance a cornerstone of his professional and public service agenda. A licensed Commercial Building Contractor in Virginia, Mr. Cavallo is an active member of the International Code Council (ICC) and currently serves on the City of Virginia Beach Board of Zoning Appeals, where he helps interpret land use decisions with environmental and code-based implications. In 2024, he was appointed to the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Stakeholder Advisory Committee on building code reform, where he contributes to the Commonwealth’s deliberations on construction safety, site planning, and code modernization.

Through these roles, Mr. Cavallo has continually advocated for stronger industry adherence to ESC and SWPPP obligations — not only as technical requirements, but as enforceable ethical standards that shape the long-term health of the Chesapeake Bay. He is currently seeking further appointments to Virginia’s regulatory boards and policy committees where his background in construction law, environmental compliance, and code enforcement can support the Commonwealth’s mission to uphold lawful development across sensitive watersheds.

The Chesapeake Bay is more than a scenic asset. It is one of the most complex and monitored estuarine systems in the United States — and the subject of comprehensive protections that require full cooperation from the building industry. At a time when unchecked runoff and overdevelopment continue to threaten water quality, those charged with constructing Virginia’s future must embrace the tools that exist to protect it. ESC and SWPPP plans are not just regulatory artifacts. They are the technical and legal embodiment of responsible building — and for those who work in proximity to the Bay, compliance is not a suggestion. It is a duty.