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ro; BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Contra
FROM: Supervisor Tom Torlakson
Costa
DATE: June 5, 1990 County
SUBJECT: REVIEW OF PROGRAM TO REPLACE TOILETS WITH LOW FLOW MODELS TO
REDUCE WATER USAGE AND SEWAGE VOLUMES
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Refer to the Water Committee to review
a program being instituted in Santa Monica, California, to replace
toilets with low-flow models to reduce water usage and sewage volumes.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Please refer to the attached
article for .further. information.
TT:gro
Attachment
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT:______._.. YES SIGNATURE:
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
APPROVE OTHER
SIGNATURE(S)
ACTION OF BOARD ON June 5, 1990 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
X UNANIMOUS (ABSENT '" > I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
AYES: ___._ ___ __ NOES: . AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
ABSENT: . _ ABSTAIN: ._.__..___._ AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD
OF SUPERVISORS O THE DATE SHOWN.
CC: Supervisor Torlakson ATTESTED `-. 19 9(3
Supervisor McPeak 1111{ Q3LClle T, Clerk of the Board of
County Administrator SUperVISU(S and County Adm1r115tlatur
Ma82/7-Sl BY DEPUTY.
1-t RECEIVED,
fl(b j PJ f Q�® w(rl, yYl, 'FIE CYiRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
+
r <. WATER CONSERVATION
Is thch Answer �1
Low ow, T, iletS?
ai
THEECONOMY rim-cm...
nicipal water systems has far
BY Scott Pe>mdiet®n
greater potential.
EMM Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor sayers
(.1115 last point the oily- (!
sayers are borne out by the expe- U!
BOSTON rience of Massachusetts. A report Mateyo
to the Massachusetts Water Re- pens to l
CITY PUSHES .' ANTA Monica, Calif., will sources Authority estimated that Matei
ATgR-SAVING Srip out 19,000 toilets and the water and sewer utility, which Capital l
TOILETS WITH. throw there into the Pacific serves 44 percent of the state's 5:6 some 1
V®n REBATES Ocean in a three-way blow for the million residents, will save 3.5 Carne
ll
environment. million gallons per day in retro- fund, at
BOSTON That's right: for the environ- fitted residences after a decade of emergin
®
Santa Monica is offering t
residents $100 rebates fo ment. The old units will be fash- the low-flow plumbing code. But in comp
switch to low-flow' to' ioned into an artificial reef that since 1987 MWRA has found and were Q
V
+lets;which will encourage kelp, fish,and lob- repaired leaks of 5 mgd in its own The j
a start at $95 but can run up to
$500 for luxury models.,lf the stens. Sending the commodes to pipes,and has detected 25.1 Ingot trnonths
$3 million'program reaches its sea will save landfill space. Most of leaks in community pipes. joins abt
Target of retrofitting 25 percent important, a program to replace Asto the toilet's alleged draw-
of bathroorris rn`the city,��1-roil- file toilet.~ with low-flow models backs, Manuel Horvitz, chairman
lion gallons of water will'be will reduce water usage and of the code-setting Massachusetts '
saved every daysays Atossa sewage volumes (see sidebar). Plumbing [bard, says he's had
Soltoni,conservation cooed+ zero consumer complaints and is „x
nater fo'r,the city,of 100,000 Choice for conservratioaa sued only one code variance to a
Taxpayers won't haveto When it comes to conserving site that had problems of backed-
spend $5 million to $7 million water, low-flow t.ollcts are the up sewer lines.
on neve-sewage treatment co- choice of communities around Low-flow proponents assert
pacity.:They. can also forego the country increasingly often. that manufacturers want to delay
buying 935 acre/feet of water That's because toilets account for demand for low-flow models until
per ear from,the Metropolitan,
. P Y P 38 percent of household .water their production catches tip.
Water District of Southern Cal,., use. Older models need from 3.5 "It's a market issue. I don't
is put -and that state agency ? to 7 gallons per flush. Their low- think it's about anything else," Moreov,
is putting up cash to encourage f
the conservation`progrom � 3 fluty cousins make do with a mere says Amy Vickers, an environ- Chapter
It is MWD's responsibility to 1.6 g.p.f.,saving up to 14,000 gal- mental engineer with Brown and the grey
see.that the hof'tubs and lawn tons annually - an eye-catching Caldwell Consultants in Boston. Mate
amount to locales whose water A spokeswoman for Kohler dia,it is
sprinklers of 15 million people' supplies are pressured b urban Co., one of two suppliers domi- to const
half the state's population Pp P� y PP
�never•run dry. But neither of growth or periodic droughts. nating the national market, says bonds e,
the age'ncy's two watersourees Massachusetts went so far as to that. the Wisconsin-based com- atively
meets or,g+nal`expectations A mandate installation of low-flow pany's two low-flow models are good tit
1963 United States Supreme toilets in most new construction adequately "available in those ar- Carn
Courtdecision cut California's and renovations after last March, eas where mandated by law." to startil
flow from the'.Colarado.River aElecting 75 percent of toilets pany In
,,aquaduct In half,to 550000' sold. The rest were to come un- Getting around the code began
;acre/feet per year.iAnd MWD der the rule in March. Rhode Is- The trouble is, low-flow toilets isdng J
only gets1 million acre%feet land,Connecticut, and California aren't mandated by a Massachu- merged
per year,#ram northern Cahfor are next. setts statute,but by the plumbing Soml
ITmhalf whafa it.expected And a bill before Congress code. That means higher-flow per Ret
Although the state is in Its i' would set nationwide standards models are still sold by retailers. their or
faurth,tran;ecutiive year�of ;+ i' ;;; not only finr toilets but also show- Do-it-yourselfers are installing 10 year,
draught;MWF..i..coping with erheads, f beets, and appliances. them,even though it's a code vio- governi
current needs, says spokesman
8ob,rvoinpotti But wlth;,gnnual The sponsors of the "National lation to change so much as a capital
"population Ince@uses af•r' ���'
Numbing,` 1 i oduus 1?fliciency Iiuicct. washer without a licensed snapper
" ',+ t rIv'i Act"say that:-it would reduce con- plumber looking on. for Ket'
,300,OOOtIn its service area,the 'c suuaption in new homes by 25 Maurice Demands, executive One
agency::,expectsfdemarid 20 is !liTi'
years from naw to outstripsuppercent. In the-law's first.year the vice president,-of the New Eng- the net
ply'by;arthirsty'40,percent �' �` United States would avoid using land Wholesalers Association, vestors,'
` Tliat'protection; Mr. Gonii ti ��ti' the water consumed by a city of estimates that the generally more their as
peri says, means that Gabforr 100,000 the first year, of 200,000 expensive low-flow toilet is in investj
rna needs conservation"pro i the second year, etc. stalled only 50 to 60 percent of Mat;
,grams like Santa Manica's I j ' ;' Such measures are all.wetn
, say the time in Boston, and 20 per- bonds.'
As fat that city's giving Its re US plumbing nianufact tiers, all cent of the time elsewhere. Mr. Standai
placed commodes o bu""nal air of whom are fairly new to making Horvitz agrees. is, high
sea,, Ms; 5oltoni,say§;Cdlifor`' low flow toilets.They charge that. A two-year old bill in the Mas- Who
�;nil's Department of dish'and '�;.'r the models are diflicull to design, sachusetts Senate would outlaw Mateyo"
Game has"never built a toilet +'4 need brushing more often, and sales of higher-flow toilets, but ing reh
reef'before" But it ha' abulltThut
may lead to.more frequent hack-,, lawmakers are preoccupied withr
reefs Tram cars 'tires, and ups of sewer systems. the state's fiscal crisis. Meanwhile, sets in t
quo rry'`ston'es;',so she ekpects :h;` They add that government the code that was to take effect only 25
„the dIll-epartment,'to;,accept ihe, should let. consumers choose toi- next month was postponed until Alth'
,.proposo) Soltani-adds that Icts and let die Anicrican National April and will probably be de- funds Ii
SantoManica�is alre'ady Standards Institute set toilet.Stan- ed one year la to
.. . . y y � glue manufac- over 9 j
oldlinto ets people to give us their,, dards. (ANSI is now at. work {)n tuners more time. High Y
one for low-flow toilets.) As for As for the national bill, even Trust a
conscrvat ion, plumbing fnanuFic- backers say it would take it nation- buying
turers say that fixing leaks in nnI- al drought to get.it moving. I
i