Men have become accustomed to waterless urinals, but now some women in El Segundo are getting their own version. Women at Boeing now push the toilet lever up if there’s only a little to flush, and down if there’s more.

The aerospace giant last month installed 400 dual-flushometer toilets in the women’s rooms of its Space and Intelligence Systems campus. If the users push the switch up, only a little water is used.

Dual-flush toilets are increasingly common in Europe, but still a novelty in the United States, said Mona Simpson, director of site services at the El Segundo facility, the pilot site for the project. Boeing calculates it will save about 870,000 gallons of water annually – enough to wash 17,400 cars.

“We are a company of engineers, and everyone really got into the spirit of this project,” said Simpson, noting that male employees have requested tours to check out the new gadgets.

Boeing, which is in the middle of a five-year plan for environmentally friendly upgrades, is also considering no-water urinals in the men’s rooms.