A waterless 'smart pissoir'.
Union County is seriously going green -- at least in its public restrooms.
The facilities near the tennis courts in Cedar Brook Park have been equipped with 'smart pissoirs' -- waterless urinals.
Urinals are an ancient device and have not really changed much in concept since Roman times, as witness the image below of the public urinals at Ostia, ancient Rome's seaport.
Ancient Roman urinals at Ostia.
Technical improvements until now had focused on controlling water use by measuring through valve mechanisms and, most recently, motion activated sensors.
That was until the serious water crunch in the Western states got folks thinking of even more serious water-conserving measures.
Completely waterless urinals save a tremendous amount of water. Read about how they work here.
How it works.
How much water is saved?
Here are some examples (think of the money saved in water bills):
- A restaurant saved 120,000 gallons of water in a year
- The Rose Bowl saved 130,000 gallons for its one-day event
- A school district reduced water usage by 20%
In southern California, the Water District has a program they call 'Pee Green' under which the District pays for the equipment and installation for any business wanting to retrofit its urinals.
Union County should be commended for this move.
Now, what about the other half?
As an old Chinese saying goes, 'women hold up half the sky'.
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