Santa Rosa outlines Fix a Leak Week outreach and progress on 2,500‑toilet direct‑install program

Lisa Cuellar, Santa Rosa’s water use efficiency coordinator, briefed the board on Fix a Leak Week outreach and the city’s water‑efficiency programming. She said national Fix a Leak Week (US EPA WaterSense) raises awareness about household leaks and that the city uses bill inserts, social media, the Water Smart home page and community events to engage customers.

Cuellar described the annual dye‑tab challenge (customers request tabs to test toilets, report results and can win a $25 gift card) and noted roughly 300 customers participate annually. She also summarized the toilet direct‑install program (phase 2) funded by a U.S. Bureau of Reclamation grant of about $1.8 million with a 55% match; the goal is to install 2,500 ultra‑high‑efficiency toilets (1.1 to 0.8 gpf) and, as of February, approximately 2,100 toilets are installed or queued.

Cuellar said contracted plumbers perform direct installs at no cost to customers and may also identify opportunities to install low‑flow showerheads and faucet aerators. The first phase, funded through the Department of Water Resources, completed nearly 2,000 toilet installations (commercial and residential) and was estimated to save about 57 million gallons of water per year.

Board members asked about eligibility (Cuellar said the residential phase has only two qualifiers: city water service and an existing toilet that flushes at 1.6 gpf or higher) and suggested outreach opportunities with schools and Water Awareness Month events. Cuellar said the department partners with master gardeners and plans community events, webinars and a presence at a March race to promote the program.

What's next: staff will continue outreach and installation activities to meet the September deadline for the Bureau of Reclamation‑funded installation goal, and will coordinate community events and educational webinars.