World Water Crisis:
Conserving Water In Restrooms
By Klaus Rrecihardt, founder and managing partner, Waterless Co. LLC

One-third of the world’s population will face water shortages by the year 2025 unless huge changes are made by governments, industry and consumers, a new report has warned.

The International Water Poverty Index (WPI), a new grading system for countries’ water use, claims the impending crisis could cause global poverty, famine, disease and political conflict.

Finland topped the WPI, which graded 147 countries according to resources, access, capacity, use and environmental impact. After Finland, the rest of the top 10 included Canada, Iceland, Norway, Guyana, Suriname, Austria, Ireland, Sweden and Switzerland.

Ranking lowest were Ethiopia, Niger and Haiti. China faces one of the world’s most serious water availability problems because of its rapid population growth.

Caroline Sullivan, who led the team that developed the index, has said: “The link between poverty, social deprivation, environmental integrity, water availability and health becomes clearer in the WPI, enabling policy makers and stakeholders to identify where problems exist and the appropriate measures to deal with their causes.

“The new index demonstrates the strong connection between ‘water poverty’ and ‘income poverty’ and this link will be a prime subject of the upcoming third World Water Forum, where some 10,000 government officials, representatives of international and non-governmental organizations, industry and water experts will discuss the world water crisis and its solutions next March.”

As to the actual amount of water used, the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) ranks Canada 28 out of 29 OECD countries in terms of per capita water consumption. Only the United States uses more water than Canada.

New Developments in Restroom Fixtures
Most building service contractors (BSCs) have already noticed many water conservation measures implemented in the facilities they clean. For instance, the amount of water that urinals and toilets use has been reduced significantly, and further reductions are expected. No-touch faucets and toilets have also become ubiquitous.

A significant amount of water can be saved when sensor-operated or “touch-free” faucets are installed. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that switching from manual to sensor-operated faucets can save slightly more than one gallon of water per hand washing. This is because the sensor-operated faucets shut water off automatically unless a user’s hands are in the active area, and water flow can often be regulated. With manual faucets, users often lather their hands away from the sink or grab for towels without turning off the faucet.

An added benefit of these sensor-operated faucets is that they can help improve hygiene, since being touch-free grants little to no chance for the germs and bacteria on one person’s hands to be transferred to another person’s hands. Additionally, sensor-operated faucets are usually easier for handicapped individuals to use.

A recent development in toilet technology that appears to be gaining widespread attention – and acceptance – is dual-flush toilets. Most models display a green flush handle. Moving the handle in one direction releases approximately 0.8 gallons of water for liquid waste. Moving the handle in the other direction releases 1.6 gallons of water for solid waste.

Another toilet technology is referred to as the 65-second toilet. This system uses sensors to determine how long the toilet has been used: over 65 seconds, 1.6 gallons of water is flushed; less than 65 seconds, 1.1 gallons, resulting in more programmed savings.

Further, waterless urinal systems have taken off in sales and interest all over North America. Waterless urinal systems, as the name implies, use no water whatsoever. So not only is water saved, but because the need for electricity to direct water to a facility and take it away is eliminated – costs that are usually passed on to customers in their water bills or additional taxes – energy savings can result as well.

Cleaning and Maintenance Issues
For the most part, water reducing restroom technologies are cleaned and maintained the same ways as conventional fixtures. When some of the early water-reducing fixtures were introduced, they did not adequately flush away waste which did result in more staining. However, these problems have been eliminated.

Generally, waterless urinals are cleaned the same ways as conventional urinals; but there are important differences. As with flushed fixtures, brushes, scour pads, and powerful cleaning chemicals and powders should not be used. Instead, a mild, properly diluted cleaner or disinfectant should be misted onto either the surface of the waterless urinal or a cleaning cloth and the area wiped clean.

As no water is used, and because of the highly polished surfaces, the interior walls of the waterless urinal tend to stay cleaner. There are fewer deposits or stains left on the urinal, and therefore, less scrubbing is necessary to clean waterless urinals as compared to many water-flushed models.

Maintenance primarily entails replenishing the liquid sealant (in the trap/cylinder) as needed and replacing the trap/cylinder. In most facilities, the custodial department will be asked to perform this task. The sealant used in some waterless urinals lasts longer than in other models, but usually, a few ounces or less must be poured into the trap about every two months to keep it working properly and prevent odors from entering the restroom.

The traps themselves vary the most when it comes to waterless systems. Some traps cost much more than other models, and ironically, their life cycle is shorter than less expensive traps. And some trap systems require more skill to operate or clean, so the building owners (and/or custodial crew) should investigate which product to use. Not only will it save them money, but it will cut down on the time needed to maintain the restroom. However, usually removing and replacing them is quick and relatively easy, and many manufacturers provide tools designed to handle this task.

Making the Improvement
Because toilets and urinals have a very long life cycle, many facilities still have older units in place. Some older toilets can use more than five gallons of water per flush. In addition, older toilets often develop leaks. Left undetected, these leaks can waste more than 10,000 gallons of water a year, according to the California Energy Commission.

Now that new technologies in toilets, urinals and other restroom fixtures have been developed and more research has been performed, confirming their hygienic and energy-saving properties, it is essential that restrooms be updated. It is well worth the investment so that we can stem the tide of the worldwide water crisis.