City outlines grant‑funded toilet replacement program and warns of federal funding uncertainty

Rebecca Baker, administrative technician with Santa Rosa Water, presented an update on the grant‑funded Efficient Fixtures Direct Install program and reviewed outreach, results to date and funding risks.

Baker said the program provides free toilet and fixture replacement installed by qualified plumbers; the plumbers remove high‑use toilets (1.6 gallons per flush or greater) and install high‑efficiency models and low‑flow fixtures. The initial funding source was a state earmark of $1,500,000; that funding was received in a lump sum and allowed the city to replace nearly 1,600 toilets at roughly 550 sites to date. Staff said they expect the earmark funds to support roughly 2,000 toilet replacements before those funds are exhausted mid‑year.

A second funding stream is a Bureau of Reclamation grant (described in the presentation as a WIG grant, administered through Sonoma Water) for which the city is a subgrantee and which required city matching funds. Baker said the subgrantee program is residential‑only; targeted outreach in lower‑income and Spanish‑speaking neighborhoods and to multifamily properties has included postcards with QR codes, HOA newsletter items and bill inserts. She said a CivicSpark fellow is supporting day‑to‑day administration.

Baker provided performance and outreach figures: for the state‑funded portion, nearly 1,600 toilets and hundreds of fixtures have been installed at about 550 sites; for the federally supported portion, staff reported almost 200 toilets replaced at more than 25 sites to date. Staff said the program aims to replace up to 2,500 toilets as additional outreach and grant activity proceed.

On estimated water savings, staff said replacing a toilet from 1.6 to 0.8 gallons per flush yields roughly 4,000 gallons per toilet per year (assuming about 5.1 flushes per person per day), and that a home water checkup — which includes fixture replacements and behavioral advice — saves about 10,000 gallons per household per year. Baker and other staff emphasized that the program is free to qualifying residents.

Committee members asked whether the program could continue if federal funding were reduced or withdrawn. Baker said the initial $1.5 million earmark had been received up front, but that the Bureau of Reclamation grant is administered as reimbursements and requires matching funds; she said if the Reclamation grant were canceled, “we will have to suspend the program because this program is only cost effective through the grant.” Staff added that they are actively pursuing additional federal and state funding, engaging congressional and state delegation members, and asking for earmarks to sustain conservation funding.

Staff also described ongoing efforts to simplify customer participation (first‑come, first‑serve eligibility, targeted postcards for new account holders and outreach at community events) and said plumbers conduct basic leak checks and install showerheads and aerators as part of the direct‑install visits.

No formal action to change funding or program design was taken at the meeting; the item was an informational update and discussion.