By Jennifer Nations, Water Resource Coordinator
Each Year, minor water leaks waste one trillion gallons of water. That’s trillion with a T and 12 zeroes. That’s enough water to supply the annual needs of 11 million households.
How do we stop wasting that precious water?
As part of national Fix a Leak Week, the City of College Station and the EPA WaterSense program offer valuable and easy tips on fixing leaks.
Toilet leaks are silent but can quickly squander up to several thousand gallons each month. An extreme example I saw was a toilet leak that wasted 90,000 gallons in one billing cycle!
To check if your toilet leaks, place a few drops of food coloring in the tank and wait 10 minutes. If the color appears in the bowl, you have a leak.
The cause is typically a worn-out toilet flapper, the rubber device that holds water in the tank and releases it into the bowl when you flush the toilet. Flappers should be replaced at least every five years to ensure a good seal and avoid leaks.
Costly leaks aren’t limited to toilets, though.
Leaking faucets can waste 3,000 gallons or more in a year. Replacing your fixtures with WaterSense labeled faucets and showerheads can trim water use by at least 20%. In addition, irrigation system leaks and improper scheduling waste thousands of gallons each month.
Repairing leaks at home can save more than 10,000 gallons of water annually — the equivalent of 300 loads of laundry or enough to fill your backyard pool.
Free Fix-a-Leak Virtual Workshops
A free, two-part webinar series on Tuesday and Thursday are an outstanding opportunity to learn from experts how to find and fix common household leaks. And since it’s online, you can participate from your home or your Spring Break destination.
Our friends at Houston Public Works, Dallas Water Utilities, Round Rock Water Utilities, Fort Worth Water, and Tarrant Regional Water District bring together a virtual class line-up featuring leaders in the leak repair industry. They’ll give you comprehensive information about repairing simple water leaks inside and outside your home.
Select participants who complete the survey at the end of each program may get a special gift on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. So register and attend to learn more!
Part 1: Indoor Leak Repair
Tuesday, 6 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
Part 2: Outdoor Irrigation Leak Repair
Thursday, 6 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
If you find and fix leaks next week or after, share your success with the hashtag: #FixALeakTX
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