A Tale Of Two Toilets In Costa Rica

It constantly amazes me that we as human beings are so stupid that we can not or, will not take simple, basic measures to ensure our well being and ultimately our survival.

If you do a Google search for “serious water shortage” you quickly find 2,980,000 pages and this is not just a problem that happens somewhere else…

“By the year 2050, some 4 billion people (that’s over half of the entire world’s population) will be facing severe water shortages. In the United States, people living in Southwestern states like Arizona could be facing severe freshwater shortages even sooner…” (1)

Thankfully Costa Rica does not have a water shortage problem but we do have a water management problem since 48% of the water produced for the Grand Metropolitan Area (GMA) in and around San Jose is wasted due to old and leaking pipes and illegal connections in the precarios which are the shanty town areas.

The Costa Rica water authority known commonly by it’s initials AyA – which is convenient because the full name Acueductos y Alcantarillados is quite a mouthful for anyone – is making some progress and in 2009 began investing US$113,094,000 for some major countrywide improvements that should help improve water supplies for about half the population of Costa Rica.

Which brings me to the tale of two toilets…

Every week I cook and sleep in three different locations: My own apartment, my girlfriend’s apartment and our vacation home in the mountains of Costa Rica.

We have two different models of American Standard toilets, the most atrociously inefficient of the toilets A: Uses up 3.5 gallons per flush and, because it’s so inefficient, half the time, it needs two flushes to get the job done…

Now a few of you will immediately jump to the conclusion that I’m just full of sh.. but un momento por favor!

The other toilet – and remember it’s the same brand, just a different model – B: Only uses 1.6 gallons per flush and works like a charm every single time and not once have I had to double flush.

So if we look at this in simple numbers, we have one model which saves 1.9 gallons every time it’s used and is therefore 118% more efficient.

So for example, in the Grand Metropolitan Area (GMA) in and around San Jose where we have a population of around 1,400,000 people, “if” people only flush four times per day – and of course it’s normally more than that – we’re talking about saving a minimum of 10,640,000 gallons of precious, life sustaining water per day!

Now how difficult would it be to implement a law that requires all newly built homes, apartments, hotels and offices to use toilets that are efficient?

PS. And please don’t get me started on the enormous amount of water we would save if urinals were required…

(1) http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/07/02/28/the-water-shortage-crisis-in-america–amp-the-world-a-quick-overview-of-a-most-dangerous-crisis.htm

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Written by Scott Oliver, author of 1. How To Buy Costa Rica Real Estate Without Losing Your Camisa, 2. Costa Rica Real Estate Scams & How To Avoid Them and 3. Costa Rica’s Guide To Making Money Offshore and the Director of Costa Rica Living & Retirement – Secrets To Happiness, a new DVD which reveals all with 14 in depth interviews…

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.