The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) WaterSense program has declared that March 16-20 is national Fix A Leak Week. KUB wants to remind customers to check household plumbing fixtures and irrigation systems for water leaks.

Did you know that 10 percent of homes in the U.S. have leaks that waste 90 gallons or more per day, or that the amount of water leaked from U.S. homes could exceed more than 1 trillion gallons per year? KUB wants to encourage customers to conserve water. By conserving, customers can reduce their utility bill and help the environment. Fixing easily corrected household water leaks could save you more than 10 percent on your water bill. If a family of four exceeds 12,000 gallons per month in the winter months, there could be serious leaks.

Fixing leaks around the house doesn't have to be difficult, and help save money on your water bill. Common types of leaks found in the home are leaking toilet flappers, dripping faucets, and other leaking valves.

Here are some tips to help you check your household for leaks:

Check your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter changes, you probably have a leak. A constantly running toilet can waste more than 200 gallons of water every day. Identify toilet leaks by placing a drop of food coloring in the toilet tank. If any color shows up in the bowl before you flush, you have a leak. (Be sure to flush immediately after the experiment to avoid staining the tank.) Install a low-flow showerhead to reduce water use from 7 gallons per minute to 2.5. A five-minute shower will use 12.5 gallons instead of 35. Fix leaky pipes, faucets and toilets. One drip per second from a leaky sink equals 200-240 gallons of water per month. Don't water the lawn excessively. If you must water, do so in the evening or morning and use a soaker hose or drip irrigation system. Check your garden hose for leaks at its connection to the spigot. If it leaks while you run your hose, replace the nylon or rubber hose washer and ensure a tight connection to the spigot using pipe tape and a wrench.

For more information on Fix A Leak Week, go to www.epa.gov/watersense/fixaleak. For water conservation tips, visit www.kub.org.

KUB, a municipal utility serving Knox and parts of seven adjacent counties, provides reliable electric, gas, water, and wastewater services to more than 439,000 customers.