HILLSBORO, Ore., Nov. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to save badly needed water from going down the drain, Governor Schwarzenegger recently signed legislation, AB 715, requiring the installation of high efficiency toilets, both dual flush and single flush models. The law makes California the first state in the nation to mandate high efficiency toilets (HETs), and is expected to save about 8 billion gallons of water annually. Phase-in of the ruling begins January 2010 and requires that 100 percent of all toilets installed or sold by January 2014 be the high efficiency type. Meanwhile, there are high efficiency toilets already widely available in California. Since the state last updated its guidelines in 1992, dual flush toilets have come onto the scene and become an increasingly popular choice. An Australian invention, where conservation has long been a daily necessity, dual flush toilets have become the worldwide standard for water efficiency. First developed by Caroma, a dual flush toilet saves even more water than a single flush HET because of the flushing options. Two buttons atop the tank release different flush volumes, one to eliminate liquid waste, a second for a larger volume of water. The dual flush option leads to greater water savings over single flush types, since the small flush is used four times more than the larger flush.
