Minnesota Flushing Away Chance To Go Green
Don Shelby
(WCCO) Grand Canyon National Park, NASA Space Flight Center, Heathrow Airport, The Rose Bowl and the Taj Mahal. What do you think all these places have in common? They, along with many others, have all taken the flush out of urinals. Its part of a worldwide effort to conserve one of the earth's most rapidly diminishing natural resources -- not oil or gas -- but water. Right now more than 25 countries around the world, including most of the United States, are installing flushless urinals. And depending on what it's replacing, one waterless urinal can save up to 40,000 gallons of water a year, but the I-TEAM found that you won't see them here in Minnesota.
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One of the most effective ways to save water is a water free urinal, but Minnesota is the only state that outlaws them. Tim Mahoney is a pipefitter and DFL legislator representing the people of Saint Paul. "Do you feel that you also represent the union in any way?" asked Don Shelby. "I suppose I do," said Mahoney. Mahoney wrote the law prohibiting waterless urinals.
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Plumbers have not been supportive of waterless urinals and have fought against them in other states arguing they will impact jobs. Mahoney said he outlawed waterless urinals to allow more time for building codes to be written. He wants the codes and specifications designed by a board of professional plumbers... However, the I-TEAM investigation finds the state's Plumbing Advisory Council has had proof of the safety of waterless urinals for years -- proof it ignored.
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Tom Romundstad said St. Louis County has done extensive scientific testing on waterfree urinals. "In fact they are more hygienic than a urinal that does flush due to the lack of the aerosol effect," Romundstad said. That's the effect when the rush of air and water carry bacteria from a flush into the restroom. The water itself promotes the growth of bacteria and research shows other objections just don't hold water... "UCLA did a study, the University of Arizona did a study, the Washington State Department of Ecology, Ayers and Associates of Florida have done a study," said Romundstad. "And they have found that undiluted urine is not a problem on pipes. That's what we were told. And we haven't seen it, so." In fact, in Duluth, they've taken photos of the pipes every year to show no corrosion or build up.
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Remember Mahoney's plan to outlaw waterless urinals to give the Plumbing Board more time to write code? There's a catch. "You passed a law that said don't put any waterless urinals in the state of Minnesota until the board has considered them," said Shelby. "Yet manufacturers have come to the board and made presentations and asked to be heard, and the response from the board has been, no, that's against the law." "That's probably a little bit more than Catch 22," said Mahoney, "That seems a little silly. I think there's probably a way to word some kind of an amendment onto some bill coming down that says that they should be able to figure out rules whether there's a prohibition or not." And a man of his word, Mahoney sponsored an amendment that passed in the House on Thursday removing the prohibition of waterless urinals. That bill goes to the Senate now for a vote. After five years of delaying tactics, the Plumbing Board is scheduled to discuss waterless urinals next Tuesday.
http://wcco.com/iteam/waterless.urinals.minnesota.2.707809.html
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