Illinois American Water and EPA can help you cut down on leaks during Fix a Leak Week
Free materials and information available to help reduce the trillion-plus gallons of water lost in residential leaks every year
 

[March 16, 2016]  BELLEVILLE - Illinois American Water has partnered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promote the eighth annual Fix a Leak Week, which runs from March 14-20. The national campaign, part of the EPA’s WaterSense program, is designed to raise awareness about small leaks and other water waste that may be occurring within homes.

Considering there are more than 110 million households in this country, a seemingly minor leaky faucet or running toilet collectively results in a tremendous amount of wasted water -- more than a trillion gallons of water are lost annually nationwide through leaks occurring within our homes, with the average residence losing 10,000 gallons a year this way. However, through initiatives like Fix a Leak Week, local utility companies like Illinois American Water, are hoping to significantly reduce that amount.

“Ten percent of U.S. homes have leaks that waste 90 gallons or more per day, and just one leaky faucet dripping at the rate of one drip per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons per year, which is the amount of water needed to take close to 200 showers,” said Bruce Hauk, Illinois American Water President. “Being proactive in checking for leaks, and fixing them in a timely manner not only makes you a more environmentally conscious consumer of one of the world’s most valuable resources, but also saves money on your water bill.”

Illinois American Water does its part, too, by finding and fixing leaks in the water distribution system and replacing aging infrastructure. Each year, Illinois American Water invests between $70 and $100 million across the state to upgrade water and wastewater infrastructure.

To assist customers with at-home leak repairs and prevention, Illinois American Water has produced a helpful infographic as a quick guide for finding and fixing common, and some not-so-common, indoor and outdoor water leaks. A downloadable leak detection kit is available in the Learning Center of American Water’s website, www.amwater.com. 

About Illinois American Water – Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.2 million people. American Water also operates a customer service center in Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville.

American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company. Marking its 130th anniversary this year, the company employs 6,700 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 15 million people in 47 states and Ontario, Canada. More information can be found by visiting www.amwater.com.

[Karen Cotton, External Affairs Manager]