The Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District (Metro Water District) is encouraging Decatur residents to find and fix leaks during Fix a Leak Week, March 16 – 22. Fix a Leak Week is sponsored nationally by the U.S. EPA WaterSense program. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, more than one trillion gallons of water are wasted every year in U.S. households from easy-to-fix leaks. This amount roughly equals the annual household water use of more than 11 million homes.
Make time to check, twist and replace this week. If you do have a leaky toilet, faucet, showerhead or irrigation system around your home, grab a wrench or contact your favorite handy person, plumber or WaterSense irrigation partner. Below are some simple steps to help you get started saving both money and water:
- CHECK for leaks. Look for dripping faucets, shower heads, sprinklers and other fixtures. Also check for toilets with silent leaks by putting a few drops of food coloring into the tank and waiting 15 minutes to see if color appears in the bowl before you flush. Don’t forget to check irrigation systems and spigots too.
- TWIST on a new aerator. To save water without a noticeable difference in flow in your bathroom, twist on a WaterSense labeled faucet aerator. Also, tighten hose and pipe connections.
- REPLACE the fixture if necessary. Look for WaterSense labeled models, which are independently certified to use 20 percent less water and perform as well as or better than standard models.
