Brighton promotes EPA’ s “Fix a Leak Week” March 12 – 18

The City of Brighton is teaming up with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) WaterSense program to promote the fourth annual Fix a Leak Week, March 12-18, and encourage residents to check their plumbing fixtures and irrigation systems for potential leaks.

According to the EPA, nationwide, more than 1 trillion gallons of water leak from U.S. homes each year. That’s equivalent to the annual water use of Los Angeles, Chicago and Miami combined. Additionally, 10 percent of homes have leaks that waste 90 gallons or more per day.

“Leaks can account for more than 10,000 gallons of water in an average home every year – enough water to wash nearly 10 months’ worth of laundry,” said Dawn Hessheimer, Brighton’s Water Resource Specialist. “As a WaterSense partner, we are encouraging consumers to find and fix leaks to save water in our community.”

To help save water for future generations, Brighton is asking consumers to check, twist, and replace:

Check for leaks. Look for dripping faucets, showerheads, and fixture connections. Also check for toilets with silent leaks by putting a few drops of food coloring into the tank and seeing if it appears in the bowl before you flush. Don’t forget to check irrigation systems and spigots too.
Twist and tighten pipe connections. To save more water without a noticeable difference in flow, twist on a WaterSense labeled faucet aerator.
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.

In many cases, fixture replacement parts pay for themselves quickly and can be installed by handy do-it-yourselfers or local plumbing professionals.

Brighton’s government access channel, KBRI-8, will be airing a “how to” program throughout the month of March to help residents learn how to identify potential leaks in their home. Be sure to tune in to Comcast channel 8 for this special program. In addition, Brighton encourages residents to visit http://www.epa.gov/watersense/our_water/fix_a_leak.html to learn additional tips on how to detect leaks at home and ways to fix them.