740 South Olive Street, a 309-unit affordable senior housing community located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, was originally built in 1922 as home to Pacific Bell. It was converted to apartments in 1979 and renovated in 2009, but still had older 3.5 gallons per flush (GPF) toilets as well as older water fixtures in place, which meant higher water consumption and costly water bills. Severe drought conditions in California caused businesses, officials, agencies and residents to seek a variety of solutions to help reduce water consumption.
The Partners
Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP) is the nation’s largest municipal water utility serving a 465-square-mile area and serving a population of over 3.9 million residents. LADWP is a member agency of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) and ensures a safe and reliable water supply. To assist 740 South Olive Street with water and energy conservation, LADWP chose to retrofit the property with UHET Water-Saving Kits from Niagara Conservation®. Backed by a 10-year warranty, Niagara’s UHET Water-Savings Kits include its 0.8 gallons per flush (GPF) Single-Flush Stealth® Toilet, Earth™ Massage 1.5 gallon per minute (GPM) showerhead and a 1.0 GPM aerator for both the kitchen and bathroom faucets.
The Solution
LADWP/MWD retrofitted the 740 South Olive Street property with Niagara’s UHET Water-Saving Kits. The three-part kits include Niagara’s the EPA WaterSense® certified 0.8 GPF Stealth Single-Flush Toilet featuring the company’s patented Stealth® Technology, which involves combination of air and water working in unison to forces air down a transfer tube and into the trapway which allows for a quiet yet powerful suction that ensures all waste in the toilet bowl is cleared out and flows fully into the sewer system. At only 0.8 GPF, this toilet from Niagara is the lowest gallon toilet on the market and goes a step beyond standard water-saving toilets. They were used to replace the previous 3.5 GPF toilets on the property.
The two additional products featured in the UHET water-saving that were installed in the 740 South Olive Street property include an Earth™ Massage 1.5 gallon per minute (GPM) showerhead, which ensures up to 40 percent less water usage than the older low-flow showerheads that had been installed, and a 1.0 GPM aerator for both the kitchen and bathroom faucets. Niagara’s 1.0 GPM bathroom aerators provide a significant savings over the standard 2.2 GPM bathroom faucet aerators previously installed on the property. Niagara’s 1.0 GPM kitchen aerators can offer more than a 30 percent savings compared to standard faucets.
According to LADWP, the Niagara UHET Water-Savings Kit installations resulted in a decrease of 35% in water use which equates to saving $30,000 a year. These savings are keeping the property in the Tier 1 allotment (lowest water utility costs) without sacrificing performance. 740 South Olive Street Regional Facilities Manager Mark Hines notes that the retrofit with Niagara’s UHET kits were “good, quality products with impressive function.”
“We’re thrilled to see our UHET Water-Saving Kits delivering such remarkable results,” states Carl Wehmeyer, Niagara Conservation’s executive vice president. “We designed our Stealth Technology as well as design our entire product line with water- and energy-savings in mind. From protecting our Earth’s scarce resources to ensuring cost cuts off utility bills, we’re focused on continuing to keep providing sustainable solutions that provide unparalleled outcomes for our customers.”
About Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP)
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the largest municipal water and power utility in the nation, was established more than 100 years ago to deliver reliable, safe water and electricity to 3.8 million residents and businesses in Los Angeles. LADWP provides its 674,000 water customers and 1.4 million electric customers with quality service while keeping rates competitive with other utilities.
About 740 South Olive Street
The 740 S Olive St Reside is an affordable apartment community located in Los Angeles, California which is located in Los Angeles County. The property is located in California’s 34th Congressional District served by Representative Xavier Becerra (D), Senator Barbara Boxer (D) and Senator Dianne Feinstein (D).