• Waterless, flushfree urinals arrive with small splash
• Old habits are flushed down the drain
• OWASA eases water restrictions
• Reasons remain to save water

Waterless, flushfree urinals
arrive with small splash

A quiet transformation is taking place at Carolina this month with the arrival of 300 flushless, waterless urinals that are being installed in the men's restrooms of classroom buildings across campus.

It's a transformation in the sense that this represents one more major, creative step in the University's resolve to take the lead in conservation of resources, most recently reflected by the "Every Drop Counts" campaign to cut water consumption by 25 percent.

The drought, of course, provided an urgent impetus to take the plunge to purchase the urinals, but even in times of adequate water supplies, the University and environment will come out as winners in this transaction.

An advocate for the project has been Cindy Shea, sustainability coordinator for Facilities Services. She initiated the purchase of a trial model that has been in use by Facilities employees at the Giles F. Horney Building since April. (See story that follows)

Shea said the urinals -- at about $150 each -- are comparable in cost to traditional units, and "in high-use areas the urinals are conservatively estimated to save 40,000 gallons per urinal each year. Times 300, that's 12 million gallons per year."

Even though the unit installed at the Horney building has not experienced high usage, it is the same porcelain fixture that is in use at Heathrow Airport in London.

"Talk about volume," Shea said.

Don't think of portable toilets at construction sites when you visualize these urinals. Instead of water to flush away urine, these urinals rely on a disposable cartridge that is installed between the fixture and the existing drain pipe.

The cartridge holds sealant liquid, and when the urine flows into the cartridge, the sealant liquid forms a barrier between the open air above and the urine below. Then the cartridge filters uric sediment from the urine and traps that sediment in the bottom of the cartridge. Finally the remaining urine flows out and down the drain.

Depending on usage, the cartridges will need to be changed every three months, or after 7,000 uses. That said, the Horney building urinal has een in operation for six months and still hasn't required a new cartridge.

Common misconceptions about the urinals are that without water, odor will be a problem, and that the bowl of the urinal will provide a breeding ground for bacteria.

Information on the web site of the manufacturer -- Falcon Waterfree Technologies -- addresses these issues, however, and points to studies that suggest that it is the presence of water that encourages growth of organisms, and "the absence of water prevents the chemical reaction between urine and water (ammonia oxide) which causes the odors ypically associated with urinals."

Initial installations began Oct. 14 in the law school's Van Hecke-Wettach Hall.

Joe Emory, Plant Maintenance Supervisor II, estimated that it's taken an average of three hours -- "some more, some less" -- to remove each traditional fixture and replace it with a water-free version. "Repair around the units varies from tile replacement to touch-up paint, depending on bathroom décor," he said.

"They do install easily if everything is just where it should be, but retrofitting back to 100 year-old plumbing takes a little more time. othing we can't handle, it's just a little more work than advertised."

Steve Copeland, director of Building Services, said that two crews of plumbers have been assigned to the installation job. He calculated that it will take 12 to 16 weeks to complete the installation of the 300 units.

The Falcon Waterfree Technologies web site, at falconwaterfree.com, offers abundant information about the urinals, including their design, installation and maintenance requirements, plus their economic and environmental benefits.

The Falcon organization was quick to tout the University's purchase. About a week after the first units arrived on campus, Falcon added this question and answer to the main page of its site: "What do University of North Carolina, IBM, Pro Player Stadium and the Rose Bowl all have in common? Each one is saving money and our natural resources by using water-free urinals by Falcon Waterfree Technologies."

Old habits are flushed down the drain

Editor's note: A waterless urinal, like the ones that will be installed across campus, has been in use at the Giles F. Horney Building since April. A "Gazette" writer spent a lunch hour with four of its "beta testers" to gauge their reaction, and this is her report.

Creatures of habit. That's what we all are, but some of us so much more than others.

Take a certain group of guys at Facilities. "Senior Facilities Officials" (SFOs) -- that's what I'm calling them for this story, which is their way of saying that if they must be quoted, please don't use their names. (Their favorite non-University choice of conversation is politics, so don't be surprised at the similarity to "Senior White House Officials." That's exactly what they'd want you to think.)

These SFOs have approved the urinals and ordered the urinals and, thanks to the test potty installed on the second floor of the Horney building out on Airport Road, they've used one since April. Well, I think they have. One of the SFOs insisted that he doesn't go on the second floor, and repeated it with the same emphasis just in case I'd missed the double entendre the first time around. But I really think he has.

But I digress. These guys are creatures of habit. To find a pack of them, I had only to uncover their lunchtime hangout of choice, Rosemary Street's Skylight Exchange. There, surrounded by used books and tucked into a second-hand booth in the dimly-lit restaurant, they ordered their sandwiches in code, #22 and #42 (tuna and turkey), because they always get the same thing. Well, sometimes the #22s will order the #42, and vice versa. Wacky behavior.

When they pay, they dig into their wallets to produce their "frequent diner cards" to get them stamped for future discounts.

Like I said, creatures of habit.

So if anyone would balk at a change in potty, you'd expect it to be the SFOs.

Lunchtime talk, not surprisingly, consisted of potty humor, especially since, like good hosts, they had someone to entertain. After all, the slogan of the water conservation campaign is "Every Drop Counts," so naturally that was an ideal departure point for their creativity.

I did find out eventually, though, that there is a subtle cultural difference between using traditional American flush urinals and the waterless variety, and it's larger than the difference between imagining a handle/ flush situation vs. simply walking away once the business is complete.

According to an engineering SFO (and don't be intimidated by his technical jargon), "It looks so different, you feel like you're peeing in a bath tub."

Come again? "Well, it's big; it's really big, and there's no water," he said.

Translation: the urinals are indeed slightly larger, but the real issue in use is in the lack of splash. The sensation isn't quite the same.

But in general, although the SFOs amused themselves and me by kidding about the test urinal, when it comes down to it -- or when the water hits the porcelain -- using it hasn't required much of an adjustment. From what they said, they prefer to use the waterless "if it's free," -- because it's the right thing to do.

The SFO's leader acknowledged that the waterless variety "requires a cultural change. People, probably men," he said, "are creatures of habit, and once you put the doghouse in the yard, and the dog establishes its paths throughout the yard, you don't move the doghouse."

To me, this metaphor sounded like it came from someone who might have spent some hard time in a doghouse. But he continued the thought with a serious turn: The success of the urinals "will require that people change their habits." It's really as simple as that, he said.

And if the SFOs can do it with so much good humor, believe me, anyone can.

OWASA eases water restrictions

Water restrictions have been eased for the local area, but Carolina officials say the campus needs to continue conserving water to help protect the resource in the long term.

Recent rains had filled the reservoirs of the Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) -- Carolina's water supplier -- to almost 66 percent of capacity as of Oct. 18, prompting OWASA officials to return to "Stage 2" water restrictions. Capacity levels have been as low as 34 percent in recent weeks, and restrictions had been at the emergency level since Sept 9.

The biggest difference between Stage 2 and emergency restrictions is that limited outdoor watering is allowed under Stage 2, while emergency restrictions prohibit outdoor water use except for emergency situations such as putting out a fire.

Under emergency restrictions, Carolina limited outdoor irrigation to well water, but now the campus will use some OWASA water along with wells. That use will be limited to once per week with no more than one-half inch per week, in accordance with Stage 2 restrictions.

Kirk Pelland, director of Grounds, said the easing of restrictions won't lead to much landscape water usage, because the campus is at the end of the irrigation season. Plants are entering the dormant season, days are cooler and shorter and very little irrigation is needed this time of year.

The really good news, Pelland said, is that the move to Stage 2 restrictions frees the campus to install landscapes at building sites such as the four new south campus residence halls and Hyde Hall, the new home of the Institute for the Arts and Humanities. A small but essential volume of water is needed to "water-in" the new trees and shrubs at the time of planting.

"To get this amount of rain at this time was excellent timing for our landscape installation program," Pelland said. "The normal recharge period for the reservoirs is the winter and early spring, and we were concerned that without sufficient rain in the fall, planting season -- from November to March -- would pass us by."

Another sign of the improved water supply is that campus dining halls returned to using plates and flatware when students came back from fall break.

The dining halls, which account for one-half of 1 percent of campus water consumption, had been using disposable items as a voluntary measure to save water. Mike Freeman of Auxiliary Services said that going back to plates and flatware will mean that students' meal plans will have to cover less increased costs associated with disposable items. It also means the non-recyclable items will no longer be going to the landfill, he said.

While the water picture looks better than a few weeks ago, Carolina will -- for the time being -- continue its "Every Drop Counts" campaign to cut indoor water use by 25 percent compared to last year, said Ray DuBose, director of utilities.

"The exceptional drought this summer has caused our concern of the need to conserve water to be brought to the forefront," DuBose said. "Recent rainfall may bring us out of the crisis, but it will not diminish the need to continue with our immediate and long-term water conservation programs."

For more information about the Every Drop Counts campaign, including water-saving tips, see www.unc.edu/depts/pubserv/savewater/.

Reasons remain to save water

Editor's note: The following question-and-answer piece with Cindy Shea, Carolina's sustainability coordinator, examines the state of water conservation at the University.

Q: Our area has seen some nice rains in recent days. Why is it still important for Carolina to conserve?

Shea: Despite recent rains, our region is still in the midst of a four-year drought. The current drought is the worst since record keeping began 79 years ago. Although recent rains have helped to reduce the crisis nature of the drought, water levels in area reservoirs are still below normal.

With a growing population, a more erratic climate and the cost associated with storing, treating and pumping water, it makes sense to continue exploring conservation options indefinitely into the future.

Q: As of Oct. 20, Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) reservoirs that supply Carolina with water were at 66.2 percent capacity. As recently as Oct. 9, the water level in the Cane Creek reservoir -- the largest reservoir in the OWASA system -- was down 18 feet, and the entire water storage system was filled to only 34 percent of capacity. Why are levels so low?

Shea: Last spring was the first time since the new reservoir (Cane Creek) was completed in 1989 that the reservoirs were not completely full going into the dry summer months. During June, July and August, there was literally no stream flow into the Cane Creek reservoir. Under normal circumstances, streams deliver millions of gallons of water a day to the reservoirs. Stream flow has not been normal since late summer 2001.

The recent heavy rains are a windfall for the area. After a couple more tropical storms we might refill the Cane Creek reservoir.

Q: What will it take to restore local reservoirs to levels that are healthy for the long term?

Shea: Restoring local reservoirs to a "safe" level will require reduced consumption on the part of OWASA customers, steady rains over the coming months and continuous stream flow into the reservoirs. During this drought we have learned that the Cane Creek watershed is quite small relative to the desired storage capacity and the number of customers in the system. We will always be more vulnerable than our immediate neighbors to precipitation shortfalls.

Providing adequate drinking water supplies is always an exercise in risk management. There are many factors, like rainfall, that are beyond our control.

Q: The drought has forced Carolina to conserve water. Are there any lessons that can be learned about how we should use water on campus as a matter of routine?

Shea: The drought has brought home the importance of installing water-efficient infrastructure in all areas of campus. As we prepare to build 5.9 million square feet of new space over the next 10 years, we need to ensure that we select the most water-efficient systems and fixtures available. We also need to look at the quality of water needed for various applications. Does it make sense to use highly treated drinking water, for example, to flush toilets or water the landscape? Might it make more sense to use rainwater or reclaimed wastewater for these applications?

Behavior modifications that reduce water consumption are also important. Turning off the tap while shaving, brushing teeth and washing dishes and lab ware can save large amounts of water. So can taking shorter showers. Reducing water consumption in laboratories across campus has been identified as a high priority area for the near future.

The drought has also made us more vigilant in preventing and repairing leaks. Preventive maintenance programs that reduce water and energy consumption are starting to be funded at higher levels than in the past.

What is important to remember over the long term is that saving water makes sense all the time, not just during a crisis.