American Notes LOS ANGELES

During this summer's severe drought, Los Angeles has adopted a typically high- tech approach to water use. The city council has passed an ordinance requiring that all new buildings be outfitted with ultra-low-flush toilets that use only % 1.5 gal. of water, far less than the old 3.5-gal. variety. Problem is that the city needs 100,000 of these newfangled devices a month, far more than manufacturers are turning out.

Further complicating matters is the failure of the city's testing lab to quickly approve the three low-flush models available. To win city certification, a toilet must be able to flush eight handfuls of tissue. One model flunked when it flushed only seven. Los Angeles is considering imposing a six-month delay in enforcing the ordinance.