Metro has spent more than $400,000 since 2003 maintaining a self-cleaning bathroom at the Huntington Yellow Line station. That’s according to a new Metro Inspector General report, which analyzed invoices related to the facility.

The report also found evidence of workers falsifying inspection records. And Metro purchased pumps for $100,000, but never used them. But it’s the almost half a million dollar bathroom that stands out.

The IG investigation into the bathroom spending, which was spurred by a tipster, found invoices for the facility from 2003 to 2017 amounting to $416,789.

And Metro may have spent more. Invoices from 2007 and between 2012 and 2014 were missing. The summary of the report says “based on spending from previous years, it is probable that WMATA spent over $500,000 on the self-cleaning toilet that has been out of service since fall of 2017.”

Metro Inspector General Geoff Cherrington says he wants to let the summary report speak for itself, but he did say the spending on the bathroom was for repairs.

What Is A Self-Cleaning Bathroom?

The ExeLoo self-cleaning bathroom washes the seat after every use. It automatically dispenses toilet paper with a wave of a hand. It also deploys an automatic chemical spray-cleaning cycle after each use. 

According to this 2015 YouTube video, it hasn’t always worked very well.

Alex Carter, an Exeloo manager in the U.S., says maintenance costs vary by city, but most cost drivers are vandalism and cleaning bills when someone spread feces across the bathroom.

The specific model, the Galaxy, is no longer offered by Exeloo since it had too many moving parts that were too easily broken or vandalized.

“The opportunity for abuse was too high,” Carter said. “Too many repairs. Now we run a system that self-cleans by spraying a sanitizer from the ceiling and dryers.”

Metro installed the bathroom as a one-year test in 2003, according to a press release issued at the time.

Metro paid $55,000 to renovate the site in 2003, installing water, sewer. and electric lines. It costs about $40,000 a year to lease the facility. Metro said it would cost an additional $14,400 a year for routine service and maintenance.

“We are giving our customers yet another reason to take Metro in comfort and confidence,” Metro Board member Dana Kauffman, who was instrumental in seeing the project come to light, said in 2003. “I look forward to seeing many seniors, parents with small children, and others taking advantage of this facility. We will gauge the effectiveness of this program in attracting riders against any incidents of vandalism or crime.”

Huntington was chosen for the project since it is a terminal station where riders may have a long bus or car rides before or after their trip on Metro.

“When the Metrorail system was originally constructed, public restrooms were not a part of the design due to construction costs, maintenance costs, and safety and security concerns,” Metro’s 2003 release said. “The existing restrooms were designed for employee use only. Customers who experience an emergency and need to use a restroom at another station should contact the station manager at that station for permission to use an employee restroom.”

Could the region see more self-cleaning toilets?

The District of Columbia included $270,000 in its budget to propose locations and a design for a clean, safe stand-alone public restrooms available 24 hours a day and seven days a week by 2021. It’s unclear if self-cleaning toilets will be among the types chosen.

This story originally appeared on WAMU.