Sidebar: Alternative Water Sources: Supply-Side Solutions for Green Buildings
A few places in the world use seawater directly for toilet flushing. One is the city of Avalon, California, a small municipality of 3,500 on the island of Catalina, off the coast near Los Angeles. Avalon’s municipal plumbing code requires that all structures with toilets in the city, commercial and residential, be dual-plumbed with separate pipes serving toilets that can be hooked up to the city’s saltwater distribution system. The saltwater, which is also used for fire suppression (fire hydrants), is causing headaches for the city because of its corrosive effect on piping and the difficulty of treating the high salt content in the city’s sewage treatment plant.
Hong Kong has used seawater for toilet flushing since the 1950s. Other locations, such as several Pacific atoll islands—including the Marshall Islands—also follow the pratice. Seawater is also commonly used for toilet flushing on boats, with the waste dumped directly into the ocean. Generally, saltwater is not a practical solution for toilet flushing, especially due to durability problems.
