In an effort to promote increased water conservation during the ongoing drought, the Southwest Florida Water Management District will bring its water-conserving restroom to several area festivals and events.
The first event will be this weekend’s Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival, which is being held at Al Lopez Park in Tampa.
“The District encourages year-round water conservation,” said Melissa Roe, project manager for the District. “But as the region continues to experience a three-year drought, the need to conserve has intensified. The water-conserving restroom station is a practical and effective tool that allows us to go out in the community and share information about what people can do to conserve water during these dry times.”
The restroom trailer will also be at the following events:
- Florida State Fair, State Fairgrounds, Tampa, Feb. 5-16
- African American Heritage Celebration, Heritage Village, Largo, Feb. 28
- Master Gardener’s Spring Festival, Marion County Extension Service Office, Ocala, March 14-15
- Venice Sharks Tooth Festival, Venice, April 17-19
- Islands Fest, Davis Islands, Tampa, April 18
- Green Thumb Festival, Walter Fuller Park, St. Petersburg, April 25-26
- Mayfaire by the Lake, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, May 9-10
The restroom trailer features the District’s current water conservation campaign and Florida-friendly landscaping tips through displays and free materials. It also features six private air-conditioned half baths with water conservation features, running water, lights, mirrors and a bathroom attendant who will keep the stalls clean and stocked.
The main focus of the restroom station, which is a cleaner alternative to some bathrooms found at large events, is water conservation. The restroom trailer uses a water filtration and circulation system, similar to the systems used on airplanes, to reuse the water from the sink drains in the toilet tanks. In addition, the water used in the toilets is filtered and chemically treated then returned to the toilets’ tanks. This filtration system allows the water conservation restroom trailer to use just 10 percent of the water needed for a standard restroom trailer.
The water conservation restroom station began as a pilot program in the Pinellas-Anclote River Basin. The project is now funded by all of the Basins within the District, including the Hillsborough River Basin, which includes portions of Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk counties.
For additional information on the drought, water restrictions or water conservation tips, visit the District’s web site at WaterMatters.org/drought.