The Southwest Florida Water Management District has teamed up with the City of St. Petersburg to help restaurants conserve water by replacing the pre-rinse spray valves on dishwashing equipment.
The St. Petersburg Spray Valve Replacement Project will replace approximately 500 conventional high water use spray valves at no cost to the establishment. Pre-rinse valves are used to clean food from dishes, utensils, and pots and pans. Conventional pre-rinse spray valves use from 2.65 to 4.0 gallons per minute and are responsible for up to 50 percent of the total dishwashing water use in the food service industry. Water- efficient pre-rinse nozzles use approximately 1.6 gallons per minute.
This pilot project is expected to reduce the demand on the regional water supply system by saving an average of 100,000 gallons of water per day. Annual water savings is estimated to be approximately 36 million gallons.
The project is a cooperatively funded effort between St. Petersburg and the District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board. The total cost of this project is $20,000. As part of the agreement, St. Petersburg will receive up to $10,000 in financial assistance from the District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board.
Customers interested in participating in the project may contact the St. Petersburg Water Resources Department at 727-551-3177.