Fix A Leak Week

LCC, the US Environmental Protection Agency and other WaterSense partners are promoting a week focused on water conservation. Wasting water wastes energy and money and can contribute to lake pollution. More than one trillion gallons of water are lost annually in the U.S. due to easy-to-fix household leaks. If your faucet drips or your toilet runs it can waste over 10,000 gallons a year -- the amount of water in a typical backyard swimming pool. Finding and fixing leaks around the home can be as simple as check, twist and replace.

• Check toilets - put a few drops of food coloring into the tank; wait a few minutes and see if the color appears in the bowl before you flush. If it does, there's a leak.
• Twist on aerators - add new WaterSense labeled faucet aerators and showerheads and tighten pipe and hose connections to save water.
• Replace leaking fixtures - be sure to choose WaterSense labeled fixtures when building or rennovating. They are independently certified to use 20 percent less water and perform as well or better than standard models.

Review your water bills to see how much water you consume, then visit LCC's Water Conservation page or EPA's WaterSense site for additional water saving tips.