The Straight Poop

A reader asked recently about dual-flush retrofits for existing toilets. These are devices that give you choice of a half flush for pee and a whole flush for the poo. She wanted to know what I thought she should do; Replace old toilets or install the retrofits. She pointed out that retrofits were cheaper and she wouldn't be adding more old fixtures to the land fill. Point well taken about the toilets in the landfill, but I still had to recommended that she replace high water using toilets with new ultra-low flow toilets or High Efficiency Toilets. I came to this conclusion after reading a cautionary memo from John Koeller, the guru of toilet testing. He warns that these devices must be approached with much caution. (Sounds scary doesn't it?) More about him later.

John says that even though manufacturers claim astronomical water savings for these dual flush retrofits, there have been no real-world studies that support these savings. His concerns are:

1. Changing in the full flush characteristics of the toilet fixture can adversely affect flush performance. This will lead to double flushing to get the waste down.
2. The reduced flush is particularly vulnerable to unsatisfactory performance. If it doesn't appear that the liquid has disappeared, addition flushes will ultimately occur.
3. Most of the flush valves are adjustable and allow the owner to adjust the flush way above the original flow rate.
4. Installation requires the owner to disassemble the tank from the bowl, remove the flush valve and replace and adjust the new valve. All kinds of potential for problems there. Replacement will also void the warranty.

Picky stuff? Well John Koeller knows his poop - literally. People were upset about having to reflush the 1.6 gallon flush toilets that they were required to install. John responded to the problem by conducting the MaP test, Maximum Performance test of popular models of toilets. This test resulted in a list of toilets guaranteed to do the job in one flush.

Did you know that the maximum average fecal size of an adult male is 250g? John used this data to create a soybean test medium to be extruded through a tube resulting in a cylindrical specimen 4 inches long. This is plopped from a scientifically specified height into the toilet being tested. A prescribed amount of toilet paper is added and flushed. It better all go down or else the toilet won't make the cut. This is fascinating research. I've met John in person and he really seems like a normal guy.

So. . .take it from the expert. You spend a lot of time flushing that fixture. It makes sense to choose the option that is stands up to "real world" demands.

How Water Conservation Dollars are Spent Appropriately

Are your water conservation dollars being used appropriately? Recently I have looked at how we utility conservation folks evaluate conservation programs. What measures do we choose? Why? How do we know they work? I've come to some conclusions.

First, let me begin by saying that I group measures into two categories. Information or educational types of measures and infrastructure types of measures. Our customers need to have the information to know why and how they can save water. But, everyone knows that just because you know you should do something doesn't mean you will act on that knowledge. If we really want people to save water we have to make easy. That's why we give out rebates for washing machines and toilets. A push to put the infrastructure in place.

Most measures, I conclude, are chosen for emotional reasons. We get the reaction from our customers and run with it. An example is rain barrels. A rain barrel holds 55 gallons of water which in the scheme of things is not that much. Our customers love rain barrels. They know they are making a difference however small. Its a good thing. Our customers respond to certain programs like this. Poster contests involve many of our customers through their children. There is nothing like seeing your children's work up on a calendar on their wall! We can't quantify the water savings, but again, our guts say getting the word out this way is successful.

Albert Einstein had a saying on his door - Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts. This is my mantra these days. Conservation measures are very difficult to evaluate. Educational measures are especially difficult. Is that decrease in water consumption due to the wonderful outreach our utility has been doing or to the wet summer weather. . . Hard to tell. Of course good conservation professionals keep track of how many brochures are given out, how many shower heads have been distributed or even make follow up phone calls to find out if those toilet test dye tablets were used. But actually water savings is hard to measure.

In these days of watching our decreasing budgets, we must be able to equate numbers to measures. To compare the dollar amounts spent to the dollars saved by delayed need for new water sources. Luckily, there are studies out there that the rest of us can look at and base assumptions on. The City of Seattle participated in the Residential End Uses of Water Study in 2000 which still gives us reliable information on where water is being used in the home. The Alliance for Water Efficiency web page houses studies and reports about high efficiency washers, toilets, showerheads and faucets. EPA's WaterSense webpage has specifications for recommended retrofits and draft specifications for weather based irrigation controllers.

Utilities choose measures that educate as well as measures that they can assign a number of gallons saved. For example replacing a 3.5 gallon per flush toilet with one that uses 1.28 gallons per flush will definitely save 2.2 gallons per flush. Easy to quantify. However, even programs like these are hard to evaluate. When following up on replacement of fixtures, one conservation professional found that water use had increased in some customer accounts. How? Well she found out that the customer's daughter moved back in with three year old twins. There lies another evaluation problem.

My conclusion is evaluation is important up to a point. Its difficult and it rarely gets done and that OK. The assumptions of water savings are valid. Utilities use common sense, information available and, most importantly, they know their customers. They use these tools to choose measures that are appropriate for their customers.

Get your free money here

Who doesn't like free money? KPUD has mailed hundreds of checks to its customers. Of course as the saying goes, there is no free lunch. You must provide a receipt for your recently purchased water efficient washing machine in order to get a rebate check.

What is an efficient washer?
An efficient washer can cut water use in half. Old style washers can use up to 50 gallons a wash. Efficient washers also cut energy costs because they use less hot water and tend to get a lot of water out of the clothes before they go in the dryer.

How can you find out if your washer qualifies?
Qualifying washers must meet the minimum criteria for both Modified Energy Factor MEF and
Water Factor WF to qualify. MEF is the cubic fee of laundry to be washed and dried per KWh.
WF is the number of gallons of water needed to wash each cubic feet of laundry.

OK, what is the amount on the check?
If you are a KPUD customer you could get a check for up to $50 from KPUD. The rebate amount depends on the rate of efficiency of the washer. To get the full amount your washer must have a MEF of 2.46 or above and a WF of 4 or less. You could get a $25 or $35 for lesser efficiency rates. Check the list published on the KPUD website to see how washers compare at www.kpud.org.

Is that all I get?
The Cash for Appliances Washington program is also offering a $150 rebate for washers that are energy efficient. Check out their website at www.cashforapplianceswa.com. Combine the two and you could receive a total $200 rebate.

How much will I pay for one of these washers?
Efficient washers do costs more. Probably around $700-$800. The reduction in water and energy costs will defray the extra cost up front.

Question for you.
Are these rebates an incentive for you to buy an efficient washer or would you consider the rebates a welcome reward for a purchase you would make anyway? Vote now!

Make a wise purchase and get FREE money!

Don't Mess with the Puget Sound

How many of you (raise your hands) have seen a bumper sticker saying "Don't Mess with Texas"? Who knew that slogan was from an anti-litter campaign? I didn't until yesterday. Our KEEP group was visited by Dave Ward, Stewardship Chair, from the Puget Sound Partnership. He came to give us a pep talk about getting the "Puget Sound Starts Here" brand out in front of people. His passion is to make this message as recognizable as the Texas slogan.

He had some good points about saving the Sound. I'm sharing a few:

• First of all, recognizing that the Sound has a problem is a hard sell. Dave said it would be much easier if the Sound was on fire instead of reflecting Mt Rainier in its luminous blue waters. 4.3 million people aren't connected with the health of Puget Sound. Most just think of the Sound as a huge playground.
  
• Dave made a point of reminding us that we aren't seeking to convert anyone. We don't need any more greenie zealots. We just need ordinary people to change their everyday behaviors to turn around the direction the Sound is heading.
• Dave illustrated that information doesn't precipitate behavior change. Just because we know what is right, doesn't mean we do it. Awareness must be joined by convenience, support and, yes, even laws. Dave calls this infrastructure.
• He gave a colorful example of how a delicate problem with truckers was dealt with. It seems that truckers don't like to stop to pee (at least male truckers), so they fill up milk jugs, then toss them out the window when filled. (Another factoid I wasn't aware of). The solution to this gross out to the road clean up crews, was to install elevated waste receptacles at truck stops. The truckers simply have to roll down the window and deposit their jugs. The truckers certainly had the awareness that tossing their jugs was a no-no, now they have the infrastructure to make the behavior change.
• Good news is that Puget Sound is now getting attention from the Feds. The Sound is joining places as the Everglades and the Great Lakes as an "official" place worthy of restoring. The EPA just promised the Partnership 6 million dollars over 5 years. KEEP is expecting to get a minuscule bit of this money for local programs.
  
• Dave reminded us that the Puget Sound Starts Here campaign is is not a Partnership brand, but came from a collaborative of storm water folks. A small but significant point for us that are thinking that playing down our connection with the Partnership may be a good idea in light of recent negative media attention.

It remains to be seen if the Puget Sound Starts Here slogan makes the big time, but the Sound certainly deserves not to be messed with!

Kitsap's best summer ever?

Our rain guru, Jim LeCuyer, thinks this was the best summer ever (his exact words). Although most of us disagree, we can't argue that cool wet summers are good for our water supply. In Kitsap we all use groundwater. When its hot, our water consumption at least doubles. We tend to get nervous about our lawns and gardens and let our hoses flow. This year, we had to do less of that.

To say we had more rainfall is one thing, but look at the big picture. This graph compares this year's rainfall (in blue) to the historical average (in red). Look at the green line. . .remember 1999? We weren't quite there this year, but close. For an update on daily rainfall visit the KPUD webpage at www.kpud.org.

Choose How to Spend Tax Dollars Today

Do you feel like tax dollars get spent without your input? Well here is a chance to help make a choice. Of course we are talking about a tiny, minuscule, insignificant amount in the scheme of things $5,000 - $10,000. But, go ahead, feel empowered. This amount is the grant funding offered from Puget Sound Partnership to Econets across the region. KEEP (Kitsap Environmental Education Programs) qualifies as an Econet group so is diving in for the dollars. There is a total of $100,000 to be distributed across the Puget Sound Region to support the Puget Sound Starts Here campaign. I heard that the Partnership paid a lobbyist $400,000??? KEEP will be in competition with the 12 other Econets in the region for this pittance.

Members of KEEP brainstormed ideas to submit for grant funding. Of course, they gave us oodles of time to submit . . letters of intent have to be in by September 10. The top two ideas must be submitted to KEEP by tomorrow, September 2, to give time for letters to be written. So . . .click on your top two choices TODAY.

#1 Ad Space with Blog Component
Monies would be used to purchase online and print advertising space in local newspapers. Print ads would actually look like a written column. The ad would be linked to a blog. Articles/blogs would be written in turn by different members of KEEP and highlight the health of Puget Sound as well as events thus expanding on last year's grant-funded project. These ads had a phenomenal click through rate last year.

#2 Coaster in bars/restaurants
Purchasing coasters with facts regarding the health of Puget Sound. These coasters would be distributed to bars and restaurants throughout Kitsap.

#3 Movie Trailers
Run short film clips of under Puget Sound or already created Puget Sound Starts Here ads at movie theaters.

#4 Ferry boat advertising
Large ads on boats to raise awareness among daily riders and tourists alike.

#5 Boater Education
Provide a device called the "No Spill" to boaters while fueling. This simple device prevents fuel spills and would include a message on the bottle itself.

Take the opportunity to help choose a project. Vote now.