04-22-1985 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Water. consumption habits vary from family to family, depending on a variety of factors. A retired couple who has lived with a septic tank all their lives may generate only 50-75 gallons per day total for two peoples At the opposite end of the scale, City staff has docu- mented water use for a specific 10-member household in rural Orono at 1109.5 gallons per day total or about 111 gallons per person per day. A household with infant children can be expected to have higher water use rates due to daily diaper washing.-eenagers tend to take an inordinate amount of baths or showers. A family that formerly lived in an area with City sewer may have acquired the habit of using their sink garbage disposal unit as a garbage can. This not only increases the daily wastewater load, but introduces undigested foods and materials to the septic system, which do not break down as readily in the septic tank as does human waste. A number of the Crystal Bay area residents have reportedly been practicing water conservation methods on an on -going basis, such as taking laundry to the laundromat, flushing toilets only after multiple uses, attempting to limit the time on showers, etc. However, the fact remains that specific systems are in such poor condition that they continue to fail regardless of any water conservation practices that may be in effect.. A number of water saving devices have entered the market place in recent years, including low-water use toilets and low -flow faucets and shower heads. For example, one model of low -flush toilet uses com- pressed air and 2 quarts of water per f lush. Each toilet unit costs approximately $400 and the compressor unit an additional $200-250, plus installation costs. With the electrically -run compressor kept in a remote location from the bathroom, air piping might create some additional higher costs when retrofitting existing homes. As far as showerheads and faucets go, these items are readily available at relatively low cost and are easily installed by the homeowner. It is likely that for a typical house wi,h 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, and a laundry, water use could be reduced considerably, perhaps as much as 50% by retrofitting with all low -water -use fixtures at a cost ranging from $750-2000 per house. This r�s not negate the need to maintain a functional septic system on V roperty, although the drainfield could be reduced in size proporti4 illy. There still would be properties that could not adequately replace their septic systems under any circumstances. 1. observed metered water use rates, studv by Michael P. Gaffron - Ham Lake, MN 1981-83 2. residential well metered 8-15-83 thru 1-3C-85 7