Environmental groups say there's a simple way to conserve water in Texas: Get a new toilet.
That's among the recommendations Monday in a report evaluating water conservation in 19 cities around the state.
The North Texas cities of Arlington, Dallas, Fort Worth, Garland, and Plano were included in the research.
Arlington got props for having a water conservation programs and a robust water conservation Web site. Dallas got dinged for having the highest per-person water use of all the cities and a weak 10-year reduction goal. Fort Worth got a mixed review and a recommendation to be more ambitious about reducing water use. Garland got slammed for not having an outdoor watering ordinance. The city review pointed out that Plano's pricing structure rewards excessive water use and the city has no outdoor watering ordinance.
The report from the National Wildlife Federation and the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club says replacing toilets manufactured before 1992 could save about 12,000 gallons a year per household.
Older toilets use from 3.5 to 7 gallons per flush, but newer high-efficiency toilets only use 1.28 gallons per flush.
The report also recommended changing utility pricing structure to reward conservation; restricting outdoor watering; offering local rebate programs for replacing fixtures and appliances; and more public education.
Arlington, Dallas, Fort Worth and Garland offer toilet retrofit programs, while Plano does not.
More: Texas Water Matters
