Phoenix launches toilet leak detection pilot program to save water, lower water bills - The Arizona Republic

Phoenix launches toilet leak detection pilot program to save water

Phoenix launches toilet leak detection pilot program to save water, lower water bills
Taylor Seely

Phoenix has launched a pilot program to detect toilet leaks that aims to conserve water and lower water bills, but not for everyone just yet.

Mayor Kate Gallego, city water and housing officials and representatives from Proctor & Gamble, Sensor Industries and Pacific Institute, a water resilience think tank, announced the program Thursday at Sunnyslope Manor, the city's affordable housing complex for seniors and people with disabilities near Central and Dunlap avenues.

The program includes installing toilet sensors that offer real-time monitoring and notification of water leaks via phone app. Apartment managers are supposed to receive the notifications and then fix leaks quickly, city officials said.

If successful, the sensors will be deployed at more city-owned facilities, a move that would help the city save money and water, thereby allowing Phoenix to redirect the savings toward improving housing, Gallego said.

Phoenix water customers have been calling for water-leak detection systems since at least June, when the City Council voted to raise water rates. Residents in public meetings said the technology could help prevent hundreds of dollars in surprise bills at the end of the month that come from leaks they didn't know existed.

A spokesperson for Gallego said for now, the plan is to deploy the technology at city facilities, congregate areas, like college dorms, and businesses, but that widespread deployment would be aspirational.

Other cities, such as Surprise and Goodyear, deploy technology or offer discounted devices that provide daily and real-time leak detection to all water users in their cities.

Water Director Troy Hayes said leaky toilets are the number one source of water loss in Phoenix apartments, and that "undetected water waste strains our water resources and our budgets."

Gallego said the program would "ensure we aren't losing any water to wasteful toilet leaks," noting that a single toilet leak could squander 22 gallons a day or more than 8,000 gallons of water per year.

The pilot program, city officials say, will help Phoenix achieve a sustainable water supply and build on other efforts the city has made to advance water efficiency.

In April, Gallego announced the city's intent to build an advanced water purification plant that would treat, then reuse millions of gallons of wastewater that would have otherwise been discharged into the Salt River. The plant, once completed, would provide a significant new drinking water supply to the Valley, which is vital as local cities work to lessen their dependence on the shrinking Colorado River and diversify their water sources.

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Last May, Phoenix pledged to leave behind 150,000 acre-feet of Colorado River water in Lake Mead, about a third of what the city normally takes annually. The reservoir has hit dangerously low levels, and if the lake's water levels get too low — a scenario called deadpool — the water won't flow downstream or produce hydropower.

Phoenix City Council also recently passed its " Sustainable Desert City Development Policy," which aims to reduce water consumption among residential and commercial users, mostly by implementing better efficiency before buildings are constructed but also by incorporating and considering some restrictions.

Mayor Gallego said Phoenix would unveil additional water conservation tactics next week related to native desert landscaping and city-funded appliance incentives.

Reporter Taylor Seely covers Phoenix for The Arizona Republic / azcentral.com. Reach her at tseely@arizonarepublic.com or by phone at 480-476-6116.