Irvine Co. to Trade Out More Than 3,000 Toilets for Low-Flow Alternatives

New toilets and shower heads being installed in six of its apartment complexes should save 46 million gallons of water annually, The Irvine Co. announced today.

The company has started installing the “low-flow” toilets and shower heads in 2,246 residences in Mariner Square, Newport North, Baywood, Bayview, Baypoint and Promontory Point. The work is expected to be completed by next month at a cost of $880,000, according to company spokesman Bill Lobdell.

In all, 3,096 toilets and about the same number of shower heads will be installed. The effort will help Newport Beach meet a water-reduction goal ordered by the state.

The 3.5-gallon flush toilets originally installed in the apartments will be replaced by ones that use 1.28 gallons. Shower heads that used 2.50 gallons per minute are being swapped out with ones that use 1.5 gallons per minute.

“This will create some disruption for our tenants, but we believe they, too, want to be part of the community’s determined response to the drought emergency and help the city of Newport Beach toward its water reduction goal,” said Fred Alson, who is on The Irvine Co.’s Water Conservation Task Force, which is looking at multiple ways to reduce water use.

The company is also considering more efficient irrigation systems, more drought-friendly landscaping and ways to reduce wasted water in fountains.

City News Service