Want a free toilet? Here’s how to get one from the city of Fort Worth

We use it everyday but rarely think about it.

That porcelain throne sitting in our bathrooms can use up a lot of water. That’s why Fort Worth wants to give you a new one.

Since 2007 the city has given away free, low-flow toilets to residents. The program, which last year provided 2,000 toilets to Fort Worth residents, is one part of the city’s water conservation program that the EPA recently recognized as WaterSense partner of the year.

Here’s how it works:

The city will replace any toilet that uses 3.5 gallons of water or more per flush with one that uses about 1.28 gallons. The toilets have to be in homes built before 1994, and there’s a limit of two per resident, said Mary Gugliuzza, a water department spokeswoman.

“If you’ve got three bathrooms, we’re sorry, you’ll have to pay for that third toilet,” she said.

The toilets are available to residents of any income through a voucher. Low income residents or those over 70 can also have it it installed at no cost. A similar program is also available for commercial properties, such as apartment complexes, Gugliuzza said.

The city has also passed out low-flow shower heads.

Because rates are tiered based on usage and households vary in water consumption, it’s hard to know exactly how much money is saved with a low-flow toilet or shower head. But based on average water usage, Gugliuzza said, residents can expect to save about 13,000 gallons of water per year per toilet. Typical shower heads spray two gallons of water per minute, but low-flow models cut that to about half a gallon. The average shower lasts more than eight minutes.

Getting a free toilet is a savings in itself.

A quick search of Home Depot’s website shows low flow toilets can cost anywhere from $100 for base models to nearly $8,000 for a fancier, sleek design.

“Think about it, most people don’t replace a toilet very often,” Gugliuzza said. “You fix the inside but not replace the whole thing. That can be a real savings.”

Saving the city water also saves residents money in a way they may not notice, Gugliuzza said. Decrease water use means less strain on the water system. That allows the department to forgo repairs and keep rates low, she said.

The program goes beyond saving residents money. It’s also about reducing Fort Worth’s total water usage, conservationist Jillian North said.

During the past year, city staffed passed out about 400 conservation kits, which included shower heads, in an effort to engage residents about overall water usage. In a pilot program with the EPA, Fort Worth created a specific outreach program for Hispanic residents that used Spanish language information themed around the Lotería game.

“We have a growing need for water, but not a growing amount,” North said. “To get more water is going to cost a lot.”

This story was originally published October 10, 2018 at 4:38 PM with the headline "Want a free toilet? Here’s how to get one from the city of Fort Worth."