Water supplies have been shrinking around the world. As a result, businesses have been moving towards sustainable construction, making green building one of the hottest global trends. This evolution of sustainable building design  has created a drive for water conservation and a demand for high efficiency plumbing products to minimize water consumption, ultimately increasing the popularity of LEED certification. Today, we are excited to announce that our latest revolutionary product, the Hybrid Urinal– available through Sloan Valve Company – can earn you maximum LEED points.

The Hybrid Urinal’s revolutionary design does not require water after each use. Instead, our Hybrid technology uses a multi-patent pending flush system that automatically performs a full gallon (4 liters) flush through the housing and pipe system every 72 hours. This timed power-washing eliminates the need for bucket dumps & bottle brush cleaning and helps clean out any sediment build up from your housing and pipes.

We have listened to the market’s needs and have blended the best attributes of waterfree technology with the best of flushing technology- creating the most hygienic, water-saving, high performance urinal available on the market.

In case you have been hiding under a rock, LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the most widely used third-party verification for green buildings —from homes to corporate headquarters—at all phases of development. To earn points, projects address sustainability issues across several areas and receive one of four LEED rating levels: Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum. LEED certified buildings use less water and energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, provide healthier indoor environments and save money at the same time.

In order to take advantage of the synergistic effects of the best urinal technology in the market, we invite you to try our Hybrid urinals, featuring use our world-class Velocity Cartridge. We can assure you, the environment and your maintenance staff will thank you. Plus, you will achieve maximum LEED points.  

Despite higher reservoir levels and increases in water allocation to farmers, the state of California is entering its fifth year of drought. Across the western United States, extensive reports have shown the dramatic reduced snowmelt in the Cascades and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, a critical provider of water in California and the agricultural belt in its Central Valley. For example, a study from the Pacific Institute shows California’s Snowpack water content has decreased from 87% of normal to 60% in one month due to overall hotter temperatures. Climate change has altered the State’s temperature cycle forever, and El Niño did not bring the relief that California was waiting for.

In response, California Governor Jerry Brown issued Executive Order B-37-16, Making Water Conservation A California Way of Life on May 9th, 2016, in an effort to build a drought resilient state. The regulations direct the State Water Resource Board to adjust emergency regulations through January 2017 and recognize the differing water supply conditions over the state. It also gives power to local communities to weigh in on their own conservation goals.

In addition, the order makes numerous conservation practices permanent. For example: It prohibits the practice of eliminating waste water, and requires to strengthen local drought resiliency by updating requirements for urban Water Shortage Contingency Plans. Each water agency will continue to have a customized conservation target and adopt practices that improve water saving with the goal of generating more savings than the existing requirements.

To achieve these targets, cities and agencies across the state will have to make long term commitments to rebate programs that encourage the use of high efficiency fixtures, such as Falcon’s Waterfree Technologies’ waterless urinals and hybrid and commit to serious conservation outreach that will drive results.

There is no doubt that California’s water situation needs the implementation of policies and programs along with water conservation technologies to prepare the state for the uncertainty of the weather and the aggravating effects of global warming. As we watch these new regulations go into effect and conservation laws be considered, one can only hope that older, less water efficient buildings and practices be phased out in the early years. 

[CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR WATER CONSERVATION TECHNOLOGIES]

On April 5th, the State Water Resource Control Board released statewide conservation numbers for the month of February. The temperature and precipitation monitor showed that the state was hotter and wetter than its’ 2013 comparison baseline. It also showed that the state was 96% of its overall conservation goal.

Out of the total 399 water suppliers reporting, 218 met their conservation goals with 113 water agencies missing their goal by 5% to over 15%. This gap, between those that have missed or met their conservation standards has hovered in the same amount for most of the year. Unfortunately, conservation for many cities has not become a way of life or the baseline for conservation was already very low.

To address a cities inability to move the needle it is important to look at the different sources of water. In the Sacramento Bee’s option section, Jay Lund wrote a piece called “Inevitable changes in California’s water supply”, which outlines six changes that will need to take place in order for California to sustain the state’s ecosystem. The six changes are:

1. The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta will export less water and some islands will flood
2. The San Joaquin Valley will have less irrigated land
3. Urban areas will use less water, reuse more wastewater and capture more stormwater
4. Some wild native species will become unsustainable
5. Water solutions and funding will become more local and regional
6. Water will be managed more tightly

Mr. Lund expands on each point in his article, which we provide a link to below. To move in this inevitable future, California’s cities will need to feel the a higher urgency and stronger push form the State. If the State is still unable, to move 113 water agencies to reach their conservation goals we may run into some serious trouble down the line. Number three, two, and five must be done in synergy to achieve the real conservation we need and must be done with an accurate tool to achieve it.

Tune in next time, as we examine the economic differences of the customers base with in each water supplier district.

  http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article74729642.html

In follow up to our last Regulatory Rundown post, the State Water Resource Control Board (SWRCB) has now issued adjustments in the mandatory water reductions targets. Based on climate, population increase and investment in water sources, the State Water Resource Control Board considered all water supplier petitions and has made several adjustments. The new conservation standards, released last week, awards reductions between 1 and 8% with one water supplier receiving a reduction of over 15%.

For the past year, California has been able to reduce its water usage by roughly 23.9% (compared to 2013). While this is a great accomplishment it remains 1% shy of the Governor’s original 25% target. With the state entering its 5^th year of drought, reductions in water supplier’s conservation standards seem to be lessening despite pressure and urgency of an extreme climate condition on the State, that isn’t going away anytime soon.

Even though water suppliers are being heard and reductions are granted in order to create a fair reduction goal, this should not overshadow the fact that this dry weather is California’s new reality.  We should draw our attention and efforts to solutions and ways to build a sustainable water infrastructure, where conservation mandates are no longer necessary and conservation is a Californian way of life. Despite regional differences in water supply and conservation targets, it is important that we work together for long term solutions so that we all feel the need to conserve. Even though El Nino favored Northern California this time around, Southern California was missed and reservoirs remain dry.

As a California native, I would like to see our elective officials respond by prioritizing policies that enact long term resilience and reform to our State’s outdated way of governing the world’s most precious resource, water. While sports teams in California don’t always get along, especially when the Giants and Dodgers are lined up to play this weekend, I hope that we can come together to develop innovative conservation solutions. Our approach to regional challenges will differ, however, it is important that we continue to push forward and put pressure on ourselves to conserve.