(Atlanta – March ) – Drip. Drip. Drip. That’s the sound of water – and money – going down the drain. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average household wastes 10,000 gallons of water each year.
Fix a Leak Week, March 19 – 25, aims to motivate household consumers to fix those leaks. Sponsored by the EPA’s WaterSense® program, the week-long education event encourages residents across the country to do their part to put a stop to the more than 1 trillion gallons of water lost every year from leaks in the home.
The sixth annual Water Drop Dash 5K will take place at the end of Fix a Leak Week in north Georgia. Organized by the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District (Metro Water District) and local water utilities, the race will be held at 8 a.m. on Saturday, March 24 at the Chattahoochee Nature Center in Roswell. The scenic, fast, and flat course is a Peachtree Road Race qualifier. Online registration for the race is open through noon on March 22.
Race day activities will also include a Kid’s Fun Run with water mascots and a Family Water Festival that features games, crafts, face painting and water-saving giveaways. Participants can also learn water-saving tips, like how to check their plumbing fixtures for leaks.
“The Metro Water District is dedicated to improving water efficiency and reducing unnecessary use of this precious resource,” said Charlotte Nash, chair of the Metro Water District. “Finding and fixing leaks in and around your home is a critical part of reducing water waste, and we share this message with citizens during Fix a Leak Week and all year-round.”
Throughout the week, the Metro Water District will share water-saving tips and encourage homeowners to find and fix leaks in their household plumbing fixtures and irrigation systems.
During Fix a Leak Week (and all year-round, for that matter!), EPA asks that you check, twist and replace:
- CHECK for leaks. Look for dripping faucets, showerheads, sprinklers and other fixtures. Check toilets for silent leaks by putting a few drops of food coloring into the tank and waiting 10 minutes to see if color appears in the bowl before you flush. If you see color, you’ve got a leak. Check outdoor irrigation systems and spigots, too.
- TWIST on a new aerator. To use less water without a noticeable difference in flow, install a WaterSense labeled aerator on your bathroom faucet. Make sure to tighten hose and pipe connections, too.
- REPLACE the fixture if necessary. An old or worn–out rubber flapper is a common reason why toilets leak. Replacing one can be as quick and easy as bringing the old flapper to the home improvement store for comparison when purchasing a new one, and following an online tutorial or the directions of your local hardware store retailer. If you are replacing leaky faucets or showerheads, be sure to purchase WaterSense labeled models, which are independently certified to use 20 percent less water and perform as well as or better than standard models.
For more tips on how to conserve water, visit www.mydropcounts.org.
For more information or to register for the Water Drop Dash 5K, visit www.waterdropdash.com.
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About the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District (Metro Water District)
The Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District is dedicated to developing comprehensive regional and watershed-specific water resource plans for local governments in the 15-county Atlanta region, which includes Bartow, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Paulding and Rockdale counties. These plans protect water quality and public water supplies and protects the recreational value of the region’s waterways. The plans also minimize potential adverse impacts of development on waters within the region as well as downstream.
Learn more at www.northgeorgiawater.org.
WaterSense, a partnership program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, seeks to protect the future of our nation’s water supply by offering people simple ways to use less water. For more information on WaterSense, and for a full list of WaterSense labeled products and WaterSense irrigation and builder partners, visit www.epa.gov/watersense.