Franklin Park, Ill.-based Sloan Valve Co. and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago launched a water conservation pilot program that could save 585,000 gallons of water each year, the two entities announced.

Sloan has donated 15 hybrid urinals for use in MWRD’s main downtown Chicago offices. The units clean the lines behind the trap with a 1-gal. burst of water every 72 hours, saving 39,000 gal. per year. The MWRD hopes the success of the program will encourage more hybrid urinal use in business and government facilities throughout Cook County (the county that encompasses Chicago). The MWRD notes 1.4 billion gal. of water is treated throughout Chicago’s seven water-reclamation treatment plants.

“This technology not only benefits the environment but also the taxpayers of Cook County,” MWRD President Mariyana Spyropoulos said. “Government should be leading the charge on environmental issues rather than being reactionary. I’d like to extend a friendly challenge to all other branches of local government to join us on the front end of this conservation effort and help protect our greatest natural resource, Lake Michigan. To be able to encourage such a diverse coalition to join forces on such an important issue shows what we can accomplish when we work cohesively.”

Sloan Valve President Chuck Allen added: “Sloan Valve is ecstatic to partner with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District and is encouraged this pilot program has the support of the Sierra Club, Friends of the Chicago River and Plumbers Local 130. Everyone has to be committed and work together if we’re going to affect real change in wa-ter conservation.”

In other Sloan news, the company announced a new Sloan University course entitled “Program Water Technologies.” The course provides an in-depth look at Sloan’s Program Water Technologies system and its influence on water and cost savings, as well as different applications.