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Pasco Residents Could Be Flush With Savings

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BY CARL ORTH

SUNCOAST NEWS ASSISTANT EDITOR

Published: August 13, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - Don't flush your money down your toilet, Pasco County officials are urging residents. Rebates up to $100 finally have arrived for Pasco Utilities customers who replace old toilets with water-sipping, low-flow models.

Some 300 phone calls were logged within a day or so after the program was announced Aug. 6, Commissioner Jack Mariano said. As of Friday, 120 people had made reservations for the rebates, according to Bruce Kennedy, Pasco's utilities chief.

About 15 old toilets have already been replaced, Kennedy reports.

"It will help all of us" to conserve water, Mariano said. He was one of the architects behind incentives now under review by the county for "green" building techniques to conserve water and energy.

Low-flow toilets are among some of those green alternatives because they typically use less than 1.6 gallons per flush, compared to three gallons or more for conventional toilets.

"We just got started" with the rebates, Kennedy said, but publicity at home improvement stores sparked interest right away.

Only select West Pasco residents are eligible for the rebates at this time, Kennedy said. More funds should become available by October to expand the program.

A private contractor, Demetri's Solutions, is handling the program on behalf of the county utility department.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is working together with the county to provide the toilet rebates for the first time, Robyn Felix, spokeswoman for the Brooksville-based regulatory agency, reports.

In this first phase, up to 500 high-volume toilets might be replaced, Felix added.

That could save approximately 10,185 gallons of water per day or 3.7 million gallons per year, which will reduce the demand on the regional system.

Toilets can consume as much as 25 percent of water used in a home, Kennedy had mentioned at a January meeting of county commissioners.

The low-flow toilet rebate program is now part of Pasco County's overall 5-year water conservation plan.

Rebate participants also will receive information on proper maintenance practices, such as flapper replacement. They will also receive information about other methods of indoor water conservation.

This phase is expected to cost $100,000. Pasco County can receive up to $50,000 in financial assistance from the water management district.

The discarded toilets won't go to waste, county officials said in March. PAW Materials has agreed to crush the porcelain fixtures. Instead of winding up in landfills, the bits and pieces will be used as filler in the base of area roads.

For rebate qualification rules and applications call Demetri's Solutions at 727-810-0168.

Carl Orth can be reached at 727-815-1068 or corth@suncoastnews.com.

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