The Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) and Tampa Bay Water are offering various incentives to businesses and residents who make upgrades to plumbing and irrigation, resulting in water conservation.
SWFWMD offers its WISE program to commercial, institutional, industrial and Homeowner Association properties. Grants offered through the program can cover 50 percent of costs, up to $20,000 per project.
Josh Madden, the district’s Environmental Project Manager for Water Supply, said already hotels, HOAs and other businesses have taken advantage of the program over the past three years to the tune of $262,184 for 29 projects.
“When we started WISE, we were getting a number of hotels upgrading their toilets and showerheads,” Madden said. “Then we ended up getting a couple of Hernando schools upgrading their toilets. Then last year we started getting into some outdoor programs with some HOAs where they are putting in smart irrigation control systems and even redesigning some of their irrigation, so the heads are using less water. We even had Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation upgrading some of their irrigation control systems at county parks.”
A “smart” irrigation system is one that uses weather information and other data to determine when a sprinkler system should irrigate and for how long, he explained. So, during the rainy season or when turf tends to go dormant in the winter, the irrigation system would run less often.
WISE, which stands for Water Incentives Supporting Efficiency, does just that. It supports efficient technology that helps cut down on water use.
“By providing this incentive for plumbing fixture upgrades, the latest designs for toilets, but also on irrigation upgrades to smart controllers and weather stations and moisture censors, we believe more people will be willing to move forward with their plans to upgrade,” Madden said. The program also includes more efficient micro-irrigation systems.
WISE is for non-agricultural water users, such as apartment complexes, malls and HOA common areas, which allows a wide array of businesses and landowners to take advantage of the program.
Any business interested in applying for a WISE grant can visit the SWFWMD website or contact Madden directly by email at Josh.Madden@WaterMatters.org or at 352-7211, Ext. 4197.
The Tampa Bay Waterwise program also includes residential properties and is a much larger program. SWFWMD partners with Tampa Bay Water to provide up to $40,000 in grant money for large projects.
Tampa Bay Water provides wholesale drinking water to the region, including Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, New Port Richey, St. Petersburg, and the City of Tampa. In addition to providing potable water, the agency focuses on water conservation, supply reliability, water shortage mitigation plans, and hydrologic uncertainty.
In the Tampa Bay Water program, customers can apply for customizable rebates, depending on their project. The regional water conservation program also works with participating utilities to bring down water costs for homeowners working to save water. “Get rewarded for doing your part to save water,” its website states. “Check with your local utility to see if you qualify.”
In addition to savings upfront costs with the rebates, utility bills will show savings each month. Through Tampa Bay Waterwise, homeowners can save $75-$100 on more efficient toilets, $250 per smart irrigation controller, and $1,000 per shallow well.
Business and building owners can save $75 per toilet or urinal, $50 per pre-rinse spray valve, $400 per commercial dishwasher, and $1,000-$10,000 on cooling towers. Homebuilders can be rewarded $1,000 in rebates for every Florida Water Star new home.
As for the customizable rebate, it pays for up to 75% of a project’s costs, up to $40,000 for projects that save potable water in Hillsborough County.
Water conservation is a huge issue for the Sunshine State and reducing water demand is a focus. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection focuses on reduced demands on springs, rivers, lakes and wetlands.
“Water conservation measures, adoption of year-round landscape irrigation restrictions, increased use of reclaimed water and the use of Florida-friendly landscaping techniques together have resulted in significant lowering of the per capita water use rates,” according to the DEP website. “For example, in 1995, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated the statewide public supply gross per capita at 170.2 gallons per day (gpcd) and the public supply residential per capita at 103 gpcd. By 2010, the public supply gross per capita average dropped to 134 gpcd, a 21 percent reduction, and the public supply residential per capita dropped to 84 gpcd, an 18 percent reduction.”
