Phoenix advances water conservation with smart toilet leak detection program
Phoenix grows its water conservation efforts with smart leak detection sensors at Fillmore Gardens, aiming to cut waste and boost drought resilience.
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The city of Phoenix on Friday announced the expansion of a smart toilet leak detection program to include all 120 units at Fillmore Gardens, building on a pilot effort that has saved nearly 850,000 gallons of water at another city housing community.
Mayor Kate Gallego, joined by Vice Mayor Kesha Hodge Washington and other city officials, unveiled the initiative at the affordable housing community in partnership with Target, Sensor Industries and the Pacific Institute.
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“A single leaking toilet can waste thousands of gallons of water each year, and most of the time, those leaks happen quietly,” Gallego said. “Phoenix is a desert community. We have a culture of conservation, and we understand that every drop matters.”
Max Wilson, the city’s water resource management advisor, said the effort is part of Phoenix’s broader strategy to address shrinking supplies on the Colorado River, where decades of overuse and drought have driven reservoirs to historic lows.
“The Colorado River Basin has a problem,” Wilson said. “But luckily, Phoenix and its partners have a plan.”
Gallego noted that water use per person in the city has dropped by nearly 30% over the past two decades, even as the population has grown.
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Comments
2 Comments
Exactly! But then how would we sell more "smart" devices for everything in your home?
Most people with much awareness will have a good idea if their toilet is leaking if they hear it start filling the tank when it has not been flushed for hours.
Beyond that, a simple and cheap toilet leak detector: put a few drops of a bright food coloring into the tank and wait. Do no flush, just wait and see if any of that color finds its way into the bowl. If so, your flapper is not sealing the bottom of the tank - replace it.
Lipstick on a pig. As I ride my bicycle on my morning ride it is rare not to see water running down the street somewhere.