BPUB Celebrates Fix a Leak Week

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – The Brownsville Public Utilities Board (BPUB) is joining utilities across the United States in recognizing the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) annual Fix a Leak Week from March 20-26.

The average American household wastes more than 10,000 gallons each year from easy-to-fix water leaks. Taking into account all of the households across the country, that can add up to more than 1 trillion gallons of water lost every year. That’s why EPA dedicates time each year to encourage homeowners to find and fix leaks.

Here are some useful tips that homeowners can use during this year’s Fix a Leak Week:

1. Check your toilets for leaks. A toilet can result in a loss of as much as 200 gallons of water per day. Checking for a toilet leak is easy to do. Lift the lid of the toilet tank, and drop in some leak-detecting tablets (available at the BPUB Administration Building to BPUB customers) or some drops of food coloring. Don’t flush the toilet at this time! Wait at least 15 to 20 minutes, and then check your toilet. If you find some coloring in the bowl. You have a leak.
2. Make sure your garden hose doesn’t have a leak at its connection to the spigot. If it leaks while you run the hose, replace the hose washer and ensure a tight connection to the spigot using pipe tape and a wrench.
3. Most leaky showerheads can be fixed by ensuring a tight connection using pipe tape and a wrench. Look for a showerhead with a WaterSense label if you are replacing an old one.

Fixing easily corrected household water leaks can save homeowners about 10 percent on their water bills. The BPUB website (www.brownsville-pub.com) has some great tools to help people better understand their water use and how to conserve.

For more tips, check the BPUB Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/brownsvillepub or follow BPUB on Twitter at BPUB_Tweets and receive more helpful information on leaks throughout Fix a Leak Week.