Find and repair leaks during 'Fix a Leak Week,'
March 18-24

[March 20, 2013]  BELLEVILLE -- Illinois American Water has partnered with the Environmental Protection Agency to promote its annual "Fix a Leak Week" campaign, March 18-24. Little leaks can be a big problem. The average American household 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.

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, Illinois American Water is encouraging its customers to repair dripping faucets, running toilets and leaky showerheads. Illinois 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 should be 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.

For more information on Fix a Leak Week, visit www.epa.gov/watersense/fixaleak. In addition, customers can follow Illinois American Water on Facebook and Twitter to receive water service updates throughout the year.

Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing water or wastewater services to more than 1.2 million people.

[Text from file received from Illinois American Water]