U.S. EPA Encourages Consumers to Chase Water Waste This Week

From the EPA:

U.S. EPA Encourages Consumers to Chase Water Waste This Week

WaterSense^® Partners Celebrate Fix a Leak Week March 16-22 

SAN FRANCISCO—The average American family could be wasting more than 10,000 gallons of water each year due to easy-to-fix household leaks, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) WaterSense program. That amount of water could increase a water bill by as much as 10 percent while wasting precious resources. That’s why EPA is encouraging consumers to participate in WaterSense’s seventh annual Fix a Leak Week, March 16 through 22, 2015, by finding and fixing leaks around the home.

According to the U.S. drought monitor’s March 3^rd report, the Pacific Southwest region is experiencing drought conditions. 

For a map of California, please visit: http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/data/jpg/20150303/20150303_ca_trd.jpg

For a map of Arizona, please visit:

http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/data/jpg/20150303/20150303_az_trd.jpg

For a map of Nevada, please visit:

http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/data/jpg/20150303/20150303_nv_trd.jpg

For a map of Hawai’i, please visit:

http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/data/jpg/20150303/20150303_hi_trd.jpg

“Finding ways to conserve our precious water is everyone’s responsibility,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “Household leaks in the Pacific Southwest may account for billions of gallons of water wasted each year.”

By following three simple steps—check, twist, and replace—consumers can save water and make their homes more efficient.

Here’s how to get started finding and fixing leaks:

Check: Look at your water meter, usually located outside your house, before and after a two-hour period of no water use. If the number has changed, there is likely a leak, which could be as simple to fix as replacing a worn rubber flapper in the toilet tank.

Twist: Fix dripping pipes, fixtures, or hoses by using a wrench to twist and tighten the connections. If needed, pipe tape can help seal shower fixtures or hose connections. Remind everyone in the house to turn faucets and showers off tightly, and check washers and valves for persistent drips.

Replace: For old or inefficient fixtures that are not easily repaired, look for WaterSense labeled models to replace them. These water- and money-saving high-performing products are independently certified to use at least 20 percent less water and perform well.  You can find the label on the product packaging or the website of your favorite plumbing brand and they are available in a variety of styles and prices at home improvement stores.  

To help consumers find and fix leaks, EPA WaterSense Partners in California, Arizona, and Hawai’i are hosting events, which include:

• The San Dieguito Water District is hosting a simple home plumbing and irrigation repair workshop at the Encinitas Community Center on Monday March 16^th.
• Customers that pay their bills at the Rowland Water District office will receive a free giveaway bag including dye tablets, a kitchen aerator, and informational brochures.
• The Irvine Ranch Water District is hosting a contest for leak detectives. Contest participants should submit photos of leaks they’ve found and fixed. For each photo submitted, participants will receive an entry to win a $500, $300, or $100 gift card to Home Depot.
• The Coachella Valley Water District is partnering with local vendors to host a Water Wise Leak workshop on Thursday March 19^th. The event will feature exhibits, giveaways, and a prize drawing.
• The Chino Basin Water Conservation District is offering a free water audit kit to the first 1,500 households to request one. The kit includes a home water conservation guide, dye tablets, and a tool to compare flow rates for standard showerheads and faucets to flow rates of high-efficiency models.
• The City of San Francisco is promoting Fix A Leek Week through web and social media, the agency’s online billing portal, and by giving away two faucets.
• For its annual St. Patrick’s Day race on March 15^th, the City of Santa Rosa will encourage runners to chase leaks: A “running” toilet will join the race and mile markers with water-saving tips will line the race route. Before and after the race, a booth will give out leak detection kits and provide information about water-saving rebates.  
• The Sacramento, Placer and El Dorado counties’ Regional Water Authority is teaming up with the Sacramento Bee to host the 2015 Water Spots Video contest, encouraging students to submit public service announcements relating to the theme “BEAT THE LEAK: Find and Fix leaks fast.”
• The South Tahoe Public Utility district is offering a free toilet leak detection kit, and also featuring leak-fixing tips on the “water conservation” section of their website.
• The Arizona Municipal Water Users Association and its ten member municipalities are hosting the fifth annual One for Water 4-Miler in Peoria’s Rio Vista Park on March 21^st. The race includes desert scenery, prizes, giveaways, food, a fun run for kids, and Leaky “Loo” McFlapper, the event’s running toilet mascot. A festival follows the race, with activities for kids, as well as leak-fixing demonstrations and music.  
• The City of Goodyear is partnering with Liberty Water, City of Goodyear Ballpark, Cincinnati Reds, and Cleveland Indians to offer two complimentary spring training baseball game tickets (for a game of choice during Fix a Leak Week) to customers presenting a water bill showing lower water usage in January or February of 2015 than in 2014. The Goodyear Ballpark will run a “fix a leak” message on the scoreboard, and the City of Goodyear will staff a table at the ballpark, with Leaky “Loo” McFlapper on hand for post-game events on March 18.
• The Honolulu Board of Water Supply is hosting a Fix A Leak Week social media campaign that will encourage residents to check for leaks at home and work and to select high-efficiency fixtures wherever possible.

Visit www.epa.gov/watersense/fixaleak to learn more about finding and fixing leaks. The WaterSense Facebook page atwww.facebook.com/EPAWatersense also has a map to help you find Fix a Leak Week events in your community.