The Southwest Florida Water Management District is partnering with the City of Tampa again in 2005 to offer residents a financial incentive to save water by replacing high-volume toilets with low-flow models.
The Tampa Plumbing Retrofit and Education Project is a cooperatively funded effort between the City of Tampa and the District’s Northwest Hillsborough Basin Board. The District and the City of Tampa have co-funded this project, known as the Toilet Rebate Program, each year since 1994.
The goals of the project are to educate residents and business owners about indoor conservation measures and proper maintenance to ensure the greatest water-saving potential and to reduce water demand.
As part of the project, Tampa Water Department customers can apply for a rebate of up to $100 when they replace a high-volume toilet with a low-flow model. The application must be made and approved prior to purchasing and installing the new low-flow toilet to receive a rebate. Customers can apply by calling (813) 288-8805.
The program will provide approximately 2,200 toilet rebates.
The total water savings from installing these conservation devices is estimated to be 67,000 gallons per day (gpd). The toilet replacements alone are expected to reduce indoor water use by approximately 15 percent. Replacing a high-volume toilet that uses 3.5 gallons or more per flush with an ultra low-flow model saves an average of 30.4 gpd. Customers can also receive free faucet aerators and low-flow showerheads.
Under the agreement the city will continue to work with a contractor to manage the program. The contractor is responsible for processing applications, inspecting the installed devices, mailing rebate checks and customer surveys, and reporting on the following: actual water savings, numbers of retrofits, costs per toilet, survey results and rebated addresses within the basin.
The project is expected to cost up to $300,000. Tampa will receive up to $100,000 in financial assistance from the District’s Northwest Hillsborough Basin Board.