After University Housing researched the issue of students tampering with low-flow devices in shower heads and faucet aerators, Barry Olson, associate director for University Housing-Facilities, said cases were isolated and dealt with.
“We went into our records for the past year, and looked to shower and aerator-related problems,” he said. “It’s actually a very low figure.”
Students had reported that residents in Turlington and Alexander Residence Halls had tampered with some of the low-flow devices, causing more water to come out than is intended with the University’s conservation measures.
“We were very happy,” he said. “We did some checking of our own and we did realize we had a couple issues, and we solved them.”
Last year, the University had introduced low-flow faucet aerators and shower heads to curb water use during the drought period.
When comparing this August’s water bill to the one from the previous year, Olson said there was as much as a 30 percent water reduction.
While he said the new water fixtures seem to be working, if students have problems with them, Olson said they should address Housing.
“We’re always focused on making sure our residents don’t tamper with state related items,” he said. “Our goal is education first, and to be honest, we’ve had very little pushback from residents.”
Steven Gerardi, a junior in business management who lived in Turlington Hall last year, said that while the low-flow fixtures could be inconvenient, he understood their purpose.
“They were a good idea on paper, but I think when it came down to it, they didn’t really accomplish what they should have,” he said. “In Turlington, there were a lot of shower heads that either leaked, or they took forever to get hot. So you wasted just as much water trying to warm the shower up with a less concentrated [stream of water] as opposed to one that would heat right away.”
In a continued effort to conserve water, Housing will be installing low-flow toilets around campus for the next year-and-a-half or two years.
Gerardi said he had noticed new toilets in D.H. Hill Library that allow for options in water flow to allow for more conserving.
Overall, Gerardi said the University has been good with conservation measures, including University Dining’s plan to remove trays from Dining Halls.
As it continues conservation efforts, Olson said communication between students and the University is important.
“If they have suggestions, I’d love to hear them,” he said. “This is an open dialogue with students.”