Check, Twist, Replace -- Do Your Part for Fix a Leak Week!

Grab a wrench or contact your favorite handy person, plumber or WaterSense irrigation partner to address leaking toilets, faucets, showerheads and irrigation systems around your home. March 18 – 24, 2013 is Fix a Leak Week. Sponsored by the U.S. EPA WaterSense program, Fix a Leak Week is an opportunity to improve water efficiency in your home by checking and fixing leaks.

Homes in the United States lose more than one trillion gallons of water each year from easy-to-fix leaks. That’s why the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District encourages residents of metro Atlanta to check for leaks and repair them. Here’s how to identify and address leaks around your home and office:

• Check for leaks. Look for dripping faucets, showerheads, sprinklers and other fixtures. Also check for toilets with silent leaks by putting a few drops of food coloring into the tank, waiting 15 minutes, and seeing 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.

The Metro Water District and participating water providers are offering toilet rebates to customers who replace their older, less-efficient toilets with an approved low-flow toilet. Visit the Metro Water District's website or call 404.463.8645 for more information.

As a WaterSense partner concerned with preserving our nation’s water supply, the Metro Water District can help you learn more. The Metro Water District website has a number of educational resources such as the Do It Yourself Household Water Audit which shows you how to read your water bill, estimate your in-home water usage and how to conserve water through simple behavior changes.

More about Water Conservation

• Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District’s Water Supply and Water Conservation Plan 
• Metro Water District’s Regional Toilet Rebate Program