The Southwest Florida Water Management District is working with Pinellas County Utilities to promote water conservation by providing toilet rebates of up to $100 for each high-volume toilet replaced with a low-flow model.
High-volume toilets can use three gallons or more per flush, while low-flow toilets use up to 1.6 gallons per flush.
The program targets residential and commercial customers of Pinellas County Utilities and the cities of Clearwater, Pinellas Park, Safety Harbor, Tarpon Springs and Oldsmar.
This ongoing project has been cooperatively funded by Pinellas County and the District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board since 2002. During that time, 81,845 low-flow toilets have been installed, which are estimated to save approximately 2.3 million gallons of water per day. Under the agreement Pinellas County inspects the installed toilets and reports the water saved using actual water use data.
The rebate program, which was slated to end in Oct. 2007, was extended in response to an unexpected increase in consumer demand.
“The District and County decided to continue the program through Oct. 31, 2008 to take advantage of the growing momentum in participation,” said Melissa Musicaro, District water conservation analyst. “An additional 8,000 rebates are available.”
The total cost for this phase is $1,096,000. As part of the agreement, Pinellas County will receive up to $548,000 in financial assistance from the District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board. This phase is anticipated to save 164,000 gallons of water per day.
Customers interested in participating may contact the Pinellas County Toilet Rebate Office at 727-725-2604.