World Toilet Day is about appreciating the first-world benefits of a household loo

By Jennifer Nations, Water Resource Coordinator

There seems to be a special day for everything.

November begins with the “fall back” time change, National Nacho Day, and my favorite – Book Lovers Day. We also have the Marine Corps birthday (ooh-rah and Semper Fi!) and Veterans Day before rounding out the month with Thanksgiving.

And we can’t forget a special commemoration on Friday that hits close to home – World Toilet Day. Don’t laugh – it’s all about inspiring action to tackle the global sanitation crisis.

Be thankful you’re not among the 3.6 billion people worldwide who lack access to their own toilet and sanitary sewer. Poor sanitation from the improper disposal of human waste contaminates drinking water sources and contributes to waterborne illnesses.

When you flush a toilet in College Station, the water goes to one of our modern wastewater treatment plants. Collectively, these facilities transform an average of nine million gallons of wastewater each day into clean water. When the treated water is safely discharged into Carter Creek or Lick Creek, we know it’s free of disease-causing organisms and benefits the receiving stream.  

That’s important since communities downstream will eventually use that water – after further treatment – for drinking water.

When you think about it, toilets play an essential role in maintaining public health. 

On a final note, you should know that leaking toilets can waste thousands of gallons of water. So if you notice your toilet randomly flushing or there’s a leak you can’t fix, it may be time to replace it. When you buy a new one, always look for the WaterSense logo. 

Toilets manufactured before 1994 use about three gallons per flush. WaterSense products are independently certified to be 20% more efficient, leading to less water waste and enhanced public health with every flush.

Follow World Toilet Day and share your input at #WorldToiletDay, and as always, remember to only flush the 3 P’s: pee, poop, and toilet paper!

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