SR-503-006-02
GS:SS:CP:AS:a
Counc~l Meet~ng: April 26, 1988
'..sCJ3-00b-O~ II-Ii?
.26l988
Santa Monica, Callfornla
To:
Mayor and Clty Council
<~ ~
From:
city Staff
SubJect:
Recommendatlon to Require the installation of Ultra
Low-Flush Toilets In all New Constructlon and Certaln
Categories of Buildlng Remodels/Additions.
INTRODUCTION
Thls report recommends that the city Coun
Attorney to prepare an ordinance amendlng
Plumbing code to requlre the use of ultra
all new constructlon and certaln
re~ode1s/additions.
BACKGROUND
Over the past several years, the City of Santa Monlca has
implemented varlOUS programs to promote water conservation.
Recently, the issue of wastewater flows to the Hyperlon Treatment
Plant has become an important concern due to posslble limitatlons
on the amount of addltional Hyperlon capacity WhlCh may be
avallable to users of the system over the next four to flve
years.
(Santa Monlca's total projected average Hyperion flow for
1987-88 is 12.3 mlllion gallons per day) Specific llmlts on the
increase In wastewater flows into the Hyperion Treatment System
have been officlally proposed by the city of Los Angeles as a
means to avoid potential overtaxing of the system during the next
few years.
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.APU:S
In l~ght of these press~ng concerns, c~ty staff has been
evaluating var~ous alternat~ves for reducing santa Menica's
wastewater flows. Based on th~s analysis, staff has concluded
that the installation of ultra low-flush to~lets In new
construct~Qn and certa~n categorles of remodels is the best
approach currently available to llmit increases in our wastewater
flows to the Hyperion Treatment Plant and conserve our potable
water supplies.
since 1982, the state of Californla has mandated the use of
maXlmum 3.5 gallons per flush tOllets for all new construct~on.
Ultra low-flush toilets and ur~nals incorporate a more efficlent
des~gn and use a max~mum tank size or flush capacl ty of 1. 5
gallons and 1.0 gallon per flush, respectlvely. Ultra low flush
tOllets and urlnals have been approved by the state of California
Department of Housing and Community Development, the
Internat~onal Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Off~c~als
(I.A.P.M.O.) I and the American National standard Inst~tute
(A.N.S.I). Any plumb~ng fixtures installed in the city of Santa
Mon~ca must be certif~ed by the State Department of Housing and
Commun~ty Development plus one of the other two agencles.
DISCUSSION
It is the proposal of this report that all new bUlldings be
required to ~nstall toilets that are deslgned to use a maximum of
1.5 gallons of water per flush and urinals that are designed to
use a maximum of 1 gallon of water per flush. Any remodel or
add~tlon to an existing building which requires the ~ssuance of a
bUllding permit and which lncludes the replacement of an existing
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water closet and/or the add~t~on of a new water closet shall also
be requ~red to install ultra low-flush flxtures. Exemptlons from
the above provisions may be granted in those cases where the
existing sewer grades are determined to be lnsufflcient or
~ncompatlble with the ultra low-flush tOllet grade
speciflcations (i. e. areas where sewer lines have a relatively
flat grade), and/or cases where special plumblng configuratlon
problems exist. It is antlcipated that there will be very few
instances where an exemption wlll be necessary.
Compliance wlth thlS ordlnance will require that a
manufacturer's name and model number for a low-flush fixture be
provided to the Building Department at the same time that flnal
building plans are submitted. Final signetf will be glven by the
BUlldlng and Safety Department atter field inspectlon verifies
the units have been lTIstalled.
staff has ertens1.vely revlewed speclflcations and performance
data for ultra low-flush tOllets, and has mon1.tored their actual
operation in varlOUS occupanc1.es. The conclusion reached is that
the to~lets perform effectlvelYI and slgnificantly reduce water
usage and wastewater generatlon (a 57% reductlon compared to 3.5
gallon f1.xtures). Staff has not ldentlfied any data WhlCh would
indlcate that residential or commercial plumbing systems will
function any less effectively with 1. 5 gallon tOllet flxtures.
It is important to note that ultra low-flush toilets have been
mandated by the plumbing code in Sweden for over 50 years. In
addltion, many other countries such as England and Japan are
adopting these fixtures as standard requirement. Here in
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Callfornia, other coastal cltles (Goleta, Carmel) WhlCh are also
concerned with water conservatlon, wastewater reductlon and
preservatlon of the natural envlTonment have been aggressively
promotlng ultra low-flush toilets through various lncentlve
programs and plumblng code changes.
Potential Impact In Santa Monica
According to data compiled for the city' 5 Water Master Plan,
tOllets account for approximately 36% of the total water used and
45% of the total sewer generated ~n Santa Monica. The following
examples illustrate the potential savings associated wlth use of
ul tra low-flush flxtures in various occupancies: A family of
three uSlng an ultra low-flush toilet compared to a 3.5 gallon
flxture would conserve about 48 gallons of water per day or
17,520 gallons of water per year, and would reduce wastewater
flows by an equal amount; a new 100,000 square foot office
bUllding uSlng ultra low-flush tOllets, would generate total
water and wastewater savlngs in excess of 53% or 3,200 gallons
per day; a new one-hundred room hotel using ultra low-flush
toilets would achieve approxlmately 5,500 gallons of water
savlngs and wastewater reductlons per day, which represents a 34%
reductlon in water usage and a 43% reduct10n in wastewater
generation.
Estlrnatlng the specific overall lmpact of thlS proposed ordlnance
on the growth projections for the City as a whole is dlfficult
for several reasons. One of the pr1mary factors which makes such
an estlIDatlon d1fflcult 1S the fact that most new development in
Santa Monica entails the recycllng of land (l.e. tearing down
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ex~sting structures to bUJ.ld new ones) rather than the use of
prev~ously undeveloped land. Under such a scenario, It ~s
essential that water and wastewater measurements be based on the
net ~mpact of the new development on the CJ. ty rather than the
pro] ected gross impact (net ~mpact would equal totals from the
new development less totals from the prevlous land use of the
same slte). Total water use and wastewater generatJ.on J.n Santa
Mon~ca wJ.ll also be influenced by water conservat~on programs
whJ.ch have elther already been approved or WhlCh will be
proposed in the next few months. Lastly, annual variations In
rainfall will affect both the total water usage and rainwater
~nf~ltratlon/inflow into the wastewater system. Based on the
calculations which can be done for lndividual cases, though, the
conclusJ.on to be drawn J.S that this proposed ordinance w~ll have
a significant lmpact on limJ.ting future increases In water usage
and wastewater generation for the City of Santa Monlca.
Ultra low-flush toilets are readily ava~lable on the market J.n
assorted styles and colors for both residential and commercial
applicat~ons. Initially, consumers may find that a lengthJ.er
lead tJ.me may be necessary for large quantity orders; however,
based on our market surveys, staff expects that over time both
manufacturers and suppliers w~ll respond to the growJ.ng demand
for these fixtures and increase their inventory levels. RepaJ.r
parts for ultra low-flush toilets can be easily obta~ned through
local plumbing stores and such toilets do not requlre any type of
special installation. Compared to most convent~onal 3.5 gallon
to~lets, these fixtures have a sllghtly higher purchase cost
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although savlngs accrulng from lower water and wastewater bl11s
wl11 pay back the cost differentlal wlthln 1 to 2 years.
FISCAL/BUDGET IMPACT
Based on current projectlons for the varlOUS factors WhlCh
influence water/wastewater revenues and expenses (e. g. cost of
MWD or Clty produced water, Hyperlon treatment and dlsposal
charges and City water and wastewater revenues) it is the
conclusion of staff that thls proposed ordinance will not have a
sign~flcant net l.mpact on the financial condition of the Water
Fund and Wastewater Fund. It should be noted, however, that thlS
evaluation of fiscal lrnpact may be posltively affected by
poss~ble restructur~ng by the City of Los Angeles of the Hyperion
Treatment Plant rates. The City of Santa Monica has not yet
rece~ved any offic1.al not1.fication regardlng rates from the City
of Los Angeles.
CONCLUSION
Ul tra low-flush water closets have been shown to be the most
effective means to decrease the amount of water used and
wastewater generated by new construction. The proposed
modlf1catlons to the BU1ld1ng Code represent an lmportant element
in the Clty's overall strategy to conserve water and reduce
wastewater. Staff 1S presently working on additional water
conservation proposals which will be recommended for council
consideration over the next few months as corollary elements of
this strategy.
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?
RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff respectfully recommends that the city Councll:
1. Dlrect the City Attorney to prepare an ordlnance to amend the
Municipal Plumbing Code to require the use of ultra low-flush
water closets and urinals for all new construction and
certain categories of building remodels and additions.
Prepared by: Stanley E. Scholl, Dlrector of General Servlces
craig Perkins, Admlnlstrative Services Manager
Atossa Soltani, Admlnlstrative Analyst
Mariann Long, Water Conservatlon Coordlnator
ulf2
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