Florida State Fair to Have Water-Conserving Restroom
Visitors to this year's Florida State Fair will have the opportunity to learn about the drought and water conservation when they visit the Southwest Florida Water Management District's information booth and water-conserving restroom trailer.
The fair is being held Feb. 7-18 in Tampa.
"Because the area is experiencing a severe drought, water conservation is even more crucial," said Melissa Roe, project manager for the district. "The water-conserving restroom station is a practical and effective tool to share information with thousands of people who visit the fair."
The restroom trailer features six private air-conditioned half baths with water conservation technology, running water, lights, mirrors and a bathroom attendant who will keep the stalls clean and stocked.
The 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. Water used in the toilets is filtered and chemically treated then returned to the toilet 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 (portions of Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk counties).
For additional information on the drought, water restrictions or water conservation, visit www.WaterMatters.org/drought.