California American Water Partners with United States Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense Program for “Fix a Leak Week”

California American Water has partnered with the EPA to promote its annual “Fix a Leak Week” campaign, starting March 18-24. Little leaks can be a big problem. The average American house hold can waste 11,000 gallons of water each year due to running toilets, faucets and common household leaks. These minor leaks account for more than 1 trillion gallons of water wasted each year in U.S. homes, according to the EPA.

First created five years ago by the EPA, “Fix a Leak Week” brings awareness to homeowners to check plumbing fixtures and irrigation systems for small leaks and other water waste that may be occurring within their homes. Small, leaky faucets and garden hoses may not seem like a big problem to an individual homeowner. However, these minor leaks add up to vast amounts of water wasted each year. Through the “Fix a Leak Week” campaign, California American Water is encouraging its customers to repair dripping faucets, running toilets, and leaky showerheads.

California American Water recommends using the following tips to help detect and repair leaks:

• Leaky toilets are most often the result of a worn toilet flapper. Replacing the rubber flapper is a quick fix that could save a home up to 200 gallons of water per day.
• Reduce faucet leaks by checking faucet washers and gaskets for wear and, if necessary, replace the faucet with a WaterSense-labeled model.
• For a leaky garden hose, replace the nylon or rubber hose washer and ensure a tight connection to the spigot using pipe tape and a wrench.
• Landscape irrigation systems should be checked each spring before use to make sure they were not damaged over the winter and checked monthly when in use.

Generally, these leaks are very small and are easy and inexpensive to repair and can save thousands of gallons of water per household each year.

California American Water, a longtime partner of the WaterSense program, offers customers a variety of programs, incentives and rebates to help customers reduce their water use.

All California American Water districts provide free conservation kits with tools like toilet leak detection kits, low-flow showerheads and garden hose nozzles and information about water efficient landscaping. Customers are encouraged to contact California American Water’s 24-hour customer service center at 1-888-237-1333 to request conservation devices and materials.

In addition, customers can follow California American Water on Facebook at caamwater and Twitter at @caamwater to receive timely conservation updates throughout the year.

For more information on Fix a Leak Week, visit www.epa.gov/watersense/fixaleak.

California American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), provides high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 600,000 people.

Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company. With headquarters in Voorhees, N.J., the company employs approximately 6,700 dedicated professionals who provide drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 14 million people in more than 30 states and parts of Canada. More information can be found by visiting www.amwater.com.