By Robin Britt, Executive Director – Community Conscience
Who would have guessed replacing some old toilets would have such a big impact?
The City of Thousand Oaks granted Community Conscience funding to install eleven low flush toilets and repair a leaky faucet. Previously these eleven toilets were 7 gallons of water per flush. The new water conserving toilets are 1.26 gallons per flush. In 2018 during the months of June, July, and August we used 297 units of water. In the June, July, and August of 2019 we used 281 units of water. One unit of water equals 748 gallons. This is a savings of 11,968 gallons of water in one three month time period. The average human adult needs to consume about one gallon a day to survive. That is enough water to sustain one person for 32 years!
An additional benefit is the savings in money Community Conscience is spending on water. The cost of water increased in 2019 by $0.13 per unit over 2018’s rates. Despite this increase, Community Conscience still spent $743.26 less from June-August 2019. That is an estimated savings of $2,973.04 in 2019 by conserving water.Â
The Human Services Center is 30 years old. It is nice to have new fixtures in our bathrooms for the clients, staff, and volunteers. Many heartfelt thanks to the City of Thousand Oaks for the opportunity to apply for the annual Community Enhancement Grant.Â