EPA encourages households to look for leaks during WaterSense Fix a Leak Week

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) WaterSense program is observing its eighth annual Fix a Leak Week this week, encouraging Americans to “Be a Leak Detective” by finding leaks in their homes and fixing them.

According to WaterSense, household leaks contribute to the country’s annual wasted water figures to the tune of 1 trillion gallons, even though they are typically easy to fix.

The EPA has broken down the leak detection process to three steps: Check, Twist and Replace. People can check for silent toilet leaks by adding a small amount of food coloring to their toilet cisterns. If the color appears in the toilet bowls after waiting for 10 minutes, there is a leak. For faucets, showers and pipe connections, those looking for leaks should twist them tightly to prevent leaks. They can also use a WaterSense labelled faucet aerator, which will save on energy costs as well as water usage. Finally, the EPA encourages people to replace fixtures that are broken or leaking with fixtures that have attained WaterSense labelling. To achieve the distinction, the manufacturers must submit to independent testing to show that their products consume at least 20 percent less water while offering the same performance as standard models.

“Not only do leaks waste precious water, they could be adding 10 percent to your utility bill,” EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin said. “By taking just minutes to detect leaks at home, the average family could save more than 10,000 gallons of water every year.”