EXHIBIT
5-C
April 16, 2007
The Honorable
John Laird
State Capitol
ATTN:
Subject: Monterey Peninsula Water Management District
Support of AB 715 and AB 1420
Dear
Assembly Member Laird:
The
Monterey Peninsula Water Management District (MPWMD) applauds and appreciates
your introduction of both AB 715 and AB 1420.
The
District supports AB 715 based on
the following statistics and benefits of High Efficiency Toilets:
a) MPWMD has tested eight popular models of
High Efficiency Toilets at the main District office. After several years of regular usage of High
Efficiency Toilets, we have found that the performance of these toilets meets,
and in most cases exceeds, the performance of the previously installed 1.6 gpf
conventional toilets, while significantly contributing to a 33 percent verified
reduction in water consumption over previous years.
b) The most recent update of Maximum
Performance (MaP) Testing of Popular Toilet Models by Veritec Consulting Inc.
and Koeller and Company (http://www.cuwcc.org/uploads/product/MaP9thEdition07-03-30.pdf),
revised in March of 2007, shows that every High Efficiency Toilet (to include
dual-flush toilets) tested for quality of performance surpassed the established
MaP minimum performance threshold of 250 grams per flush. Many of the popular, tested models more than
doubled or tripled the performance threshold, outperforming most conventional
1.6 gpf toilet models in the same, realistic test.
c) Dual-flush toilets are a water-efficient,
proven technology, which use (on average) 27.5% less water than conventional
1.6 gpf toilets. Tested dual-flush
toilets accomplish the water usage reduction described in AB 715.
The
Monterey Peninsula Water Management District also recommends future
consideration of the adoption of minimum performance standards, such as the
Maximum Performance minimum threshold, so that public opinion is not adversely
affected by poor performing toilet models in the marketplace. The negative opinion of 1.6 gpf toilets still
surfaces today, due to the poor quality of performance of many of the first
toilets that were manufactured and sold when the 1.6 gpf standard was mandated.
Poor-performing toilets had to be flushed more than once due to lack of a
minimum performance standard, so the potential water savings were diminished.
This was due to the “legislation being ahead of the technology”, which is
clearly the polar opposite of the present situation involving today’s High
Efficiency Toilet performance standards based on highly-credible MaP Test
results.
Additionally,
MPWMD would like to express support of AB 1420 based on the following:
a) The California Urban Water Conservation
Council, of which MPWMD is a member, has stated that increased
compliance with water conservation measures in urban areas is estimated to
result in an annual water savings of approximately 300,000 acre feet statewide.
b) Current state law requires 14
conservation measures to be included in a local water supplier’s Urban Water
Management Plan, but AB 1420 requires, as a condition of eligibility for state
grants, that urban water suppliers implement
the water conservation measures in order to increase water use efficiency in
urban areas.
MPWMD is the
local agency that has led a successful water conservation effort on the
In
conclusion, MPWMD fully supports both AB
715 and AB 1420, and encourages the addition of minimum performance
standards as described above.
Sincerely,
David
Pendergrass, Chair
Board
of Directors
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