With long, dry summer looming, EPA urges Northwest residents to stop drips & leaks during “Fix-a-Leak Week,” March 16-23

From EPA:

With long, dry summer looming, EPA urges Northwest residents to stop drips & leaks during “Fix-a-Leak Week,” March 16-23

Contact:  Mark MacIntyre, EPA/Seattle 206-553-7302 – macintyre.mark@epa.gov

(Seattle, WA – March 16, 2015)  With local snowpack at historic lows, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is inviting Northwest households to “make every drop count” for Fix-a-Leak Week, March 16 – 23, 2015. The Agency estimates that household leaks waste more than one trillion gallons of water across the United States annually, equal to the annual household water use of more than 11 million homes.

In this year’s race against water waste, EPA wants everyone to be on the lookout for dripping faucets, loose showerheads and faulty toilet flappers. Did you know that an average American family wastes up to 10,000 gallons of water every year, or the amount of water needed to wash 270 loads of laundry? By fixing smaller leaks DIY, you’ll soon recover the hardware cost and enjoy real savings! Experts estimate that by fixing persistent water leaks, households can save up to 10 percent on their water bills.

Finding and fixing leaks is simple to do:

• Check for leaks: Look for dripping faucets, showerheads and fixture connections. Check irrigation systems and spigots too.

• Turn and tighten all connections: Make sure there is a tight connection between the showerhead and the pipe stem. It may just need a twist to tighten or some pipe tape to secure it.

• Upgrade worn out fixtures:  If it’s time for a new toilet, look for models bearing the WaterSense label. They’re independently certified to use 20 percent less water and perform as well or better than standard models.
  

The following are just a few of the events WaterSense Partners are holding in and around the Northwest to celebrate Fix-a-Leak-Week 2015:

WASHINGTON

CITY OF SEATTLE (KING COUNTY) – Seattle Public Utilities along with members of the Saving Water Partnership provide water conservation education to local public schools, including checking for leaks in and around the home.  For water-saving tips and handy fix-a-leak videos, go to www.savingwater.org 

Contact: Arece Hampton, SPU Saving Water Partnership, Arece.Hampton@seattle.gov .

CASCADE WATER ALLIANCE (KING COUNTY) – On Thursday, March 12, the Cascade Water Alliance Road Show visited the King County Housing Authority (KCHA) headquarters in Tukwila to celebrate both Fix A Leak Week and a freshly-minted agreement with KCHA to perform water audits and retrofits at their properties in 2015.  Cascade staff distributed leak detection dye, WaterSense labeled showerheads, and other water conservation items to KCHA staff to encourage them to check for leaks and promote water efficiency.  During FALW, Cascade will audit 125 KCHA residential units in Skyway and Bellevue for leaks and water savings opportunities, with hundreds of additional units lined up for audits later this spring. Contact: Michael Brent, Cascade Water Alliance Water Resources Manager,mbrent@cascadewater.org  425-453-1810.

LIBERTY LAKE SEWER AND WATER DISTRICT(SPOKANE COUNTY) – The District is focusing on identifying and fixing leaks during the month of March and are making dye kits available to homes in their service area. They will publish a WaterSense ad in the March edition of the Liberty Lake Splash newspaper describing a Fix A Leak Week package which will be available to customers, including a leak-detection dye kit, steps on “how to look for leaks,” free WaterSense faucet aerators and a low-flow showerhead. Contact: Jeremy Jenkins, District Water Resource Manager, jjenkins@libertylake.org

OREGONGREATER PORTLAND METRO AREA (WASHINGTON, MULTNOMAH & CLACKAMAS COUNTIES) - The Regional Water Providers Consortium is offering free indoor water saving kits to customers served by its 22 water provider members. To see a list of participating water providers, please visit:  http://www.conserveh2o.org/consortium--members  

Contact: Bonny Cushman, RWPC Conservation Program Specialist, Bonny.cushman@portlandoregon.gov

CITY OF BEND(DESCHUTES COUNTY) - City of Bend’s Water Conservation Program’s Fix-a-Leak Week promotion includes a special FALW social media campaign that will award five lucky winners in-home water efficiency audits, performed by a locally trained and certified “Green Plumber,” through Green Plumbers, USA (http://www.greenplumbersusa.com/). They will also be running a special FALW radio ad all week and have asked the Bend City Council to officially proclaim 3/16 -23 as “Fix a Leak Week” in Bend. 

Contact: Mike Buettner, Bend Water Conservation Program Manager, mbuettner@bendoregon.gov

IDAHO

City of Boise(ADA COUNTY) – To promote Fix-a-Leak Week,United Water Idaho will feature FALW information, hints and tips in their twitter feed (@unitedwaterID) and on their facebook page (facebook.com/unitedwateridaho).They will also be adding the EPA WaterSense link  in their monthly customer e-newsletter. (http://www.epa.gov/watersense/our_water/howto.html#leaks)  Contact: Stephanie Raddatz, United Water Idaho, Stephanie.Raddatz@UnitedWater.com.

For more information about EPA’s WaterSense Program: http://www.epa.gov/watersense