The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) WaterSense® program has declared that March 12-18 is national Fix a Leak Week. KUB wants to remind customers to check household plumbing fixtures and irrigation systems for water leaks.

According to WaterSense, an American home can waste, on average, more than 10,000 gallons of water every year due to running toilets, dripping faucets, and other household leaks. Nationwide, more than one trillion gallons of water leak from U.S. homes each year.

KUB encourages customers to conserve water. By conserving, customers can reduce their utility bill and help the environment. Fixing household water leaks could save customers more than 10 percent on their water bill.

Fixing leaks around the house doesn't have to be difficult. Common types of leaks found in the home are worn toilet flappers, dripping faucets, and leaking showerheads.

Below are some tips to help check a household for leaks:

A good method to check for leaks is to examine water usage during a colder month, like January or February. If a family of four exceeds 12,000 gallons per month, there are serious leaks. Check the water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter changes at all, there is most likely 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 the color shows up in the bowl within 15 minutes without flushing, there is a leak (Be sure to flush immediately after the experiment to avoid staining the tank). One drip per second from a leaky faucet can waste more than 3,000 gallons per year. Check the faucet washers and gaskets for wear, and replace them if necessary. A showerhead leaking at 10 drips per minute wastes more than 500 gallons of water per year. Most leaky showerheads can be fixed by ensuring a tight connection using pipe tape and a wrench. An irrigation system should be checked each spring before use to make sure it was not damaged by frost or freezing. Check the garden hose for leaks at its connection to the spigot. If it leaks while the hose is running, replace the nylon or rubber hose washer and ensure a tight connection to the spigot using pipe tape and a wrench. If it is time to replace a toilet, faucet, showerhead, or other household plumbing fixture, look for one that has earned the WaterSense label.

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.