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Fix A Leak Week Offers Chance for Water, Cost Savings

Press Release
A plumber installing a toilet.

Perris, CA (March 14, 2022) — Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD) encourages customers to check their homes and landscape irrigation systems during National Fix A Leak Week from March 14-20, 2022.

The annual week was established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promote the importance of fixing leaks in order to help save water. The EPA estimates that household leaks can waste nearly one trillion gallons of water annually across the nation.

To check for leaks, EMWD customers should take a few simple steps that can go a long way in helping them save water and money:

  • Check your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter changes at all, you probably have a leak.
  • Customers should briefly run their irrigation systems during the day to check for any broken sprinkler heads, detached drip lines, or other issues that may be causing leaks or water loss.
  • Identify toilet leaks by placing a drop of food coloring in the toilet tank. If any color shows up in the bowl after 15 minutes, you have a leak. Be sure to flush immediately after the test to avoid staining the tank.
  • Examine faucet gaskets and pipe fittings for any water on the outside of the pipe to check for surface leaks.

EMWD customers may also log into their MyAccount portal and check their hourly usage. If there is continuous usage, it is likely indicative of a leak at the property. EMWD also proactively reaches out to customers who have continuous usage to notify them of a potential problem at their property so they may take corrective action to help minimize both water loss and their monthly bill.

“We encourage everyone to take a few moments this week to do their part to check for leaks and, if necessary, take the steps to repair them,” EMWD Board President Phil Paule said. “These small steps can help save money and allow customers to do their part to avoid wasting precious water supplies.”

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Eastern Municipal Water District is the water, wastewater service and recycled water provider to nearly one million people living and working within a 558-square mile service area in western Riverside County. It is California’s sixth-largest retail water agency, and its mission is “To deliver value to our diverse customers and the communities we serve by providing safe, reliable, economical and environmentally sustainable water, wastewater and recycled water services.”
More information can be found at
www.emwd.org.