Change in the Tank: Swap in a Low-Flow Toilet, Earn a Rebate

Now that the is considering a , it's time to take advantage of ways to reduce your water use.

The District offers a $150 rebate for residents who swap in their water guzzling toilets for a new low-flow model – to add on some cash to a potential fee reduction. 

Typically, high-efficiency toilets (HET) use 20 percent less water than the standard 1.6 gallon per flush models.

Find a list of the permissible models on the sanitation district's website, and find relevant testing and stats here.

There are two types of HET models: Dual Flush, which allow users to use a separate, less powerful flush, when disposing of solid waste, and Pressure Assist, which use a burst of air, rather than excess water, to cause the flush.

On average, HETs use 1.28 gallons per flush, depending on the model.

To qualify for a rebate on your very own porcelain thrown, you have to be a customer of the either the Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District, the City of Sonoma, the Valley of the Moon Water District or be direction adjacent to its boundaries. 

The District also recommends avoiding outside water use – such as watering lawns, washing cars and hosing driveways – during the winter months, to reduce your eventual water payment. 

The Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District's board of directors will hold a public hearing in June of 2012 to vote on the volume-based fee rates. Notices of annual rate changes – mandated by Prop. 218 – will be mailed to customers in the spring of 2012. 

If you have questions on the new system, contact Spencer Bader, Sonoma County Water Agency Division Manager at 707.521.6207 or spencerb@scwa.ca.gov.