SFWMD Awards Grant for Toilet Retrofit Program
Recognizing the importance of promoting water use efficiency through conservation, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) recently awarded the city of Hallandale Beach a $25,000 Water Savings Incentive Program (WaterSIP) grant for the city's toilet retrofit program, officials said on Feb. 10.
At a total cost of $50,000 this year, the city will replace 1,000 low-efficiency toilets in older high-rise condominiums with selective volume flush toilets, which will allow residents to use less water. The program, focused mostly on residences in the eastern section of the city, will save an estimated 10 million gallons of water per year.
The district's Water Savings Incentive Program, which began in 2002, provides matching funds of up to $50,000 to water providers for installing water-saving technology, such as low-flow plumbing fixtures, high-efficiency irrigation equipment, and fire hydrant flushing devices. From 2002 through 2008, WaterSIP helped fund dozens of conservation projects that have saved an estimated 1.56 billion gallons of water per year throughout the district's 16-county region.
Hallandale Beach's toilet retrofit program is one of 44 projects authorized by the district's Governing Board to receive WaterSIP grants in fiscal year 2009. The grants, totaling $1.03 million, will help fund projects that will save an estimated 550 million gallons of water per year.
The application period for WaterSIP grants begins each February. The funding is open to qualifying cities, utilities, homeowners associations, community development districts, and other water providers.