The air force used only stored rain water to supply the toilet and shipped drinking water in daily. Luckily, Arias de Para ran into Dick Warren, a retired civilian employee of the U.S. Department of Defense, who recalled that he had helped drill a well on the site 25 years before. With his help, Arias de Para located the artesian well 200 feet below ground. The well provides only two gallons of water per minute, but that meets the tower's conservation-motivated demand. He installed low-flow toilets that use only 1.5 gallons per flush.
Water is warmed for each shower using manually-controlled electric heaters.
Toilet waste goes to a typical septic tank, and solids are removed periodically by a pumping truck. Soon, however, Arias de Para will begin treating soapy kitchen water in a holding tank and using it to supply water to the toilets instead of draining the kitchen water directly into the septic tank. Once gutted, interior wall construction was routine. As the spaces took form, Arias de Para began to consider finishes. Interior designer Ruth Mellergaard, president of New York City-based Grid 3 International, arrived to advise him on a color scheme and furnishings.