DOW offers free leak detection kits for ‘Fix a Leak Week’ March 20-24

DOW offers free leak detection kits for ‘Fix a Leak Week’ March 20-24

The Department of Water (DOW) is encouraging all water users to find and fix residential leaks during the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) annual “Fix a Leak Week” from Monday, March 20 through Friday, March 24.

As part of the EPA’s WaterSense program, DOW’s Fix a Leak Week program encourages residents to help put a stop to the more than 1 trillion gallons of water wasted from household leaks across America each year.

“Even a small household leak from a bathroom faucet can waste about 3,000 gallons of water over the course of a year,” said Kirk Saiki, DOW manager and chief engineer. “As a WaterSense partner, we are encouraging consumers to find and fix leaks in order to conserve water in our community and protect our most precious resource.”

During Fix a Leak Week, the DOW is giving away free leak detection starter kits at their office located at 4398 Pua Loke Street, in Lihue. The DOW’s office hours are Mondaythrough Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Starter kits will include three toilet leak detection dye tablets, a low-flow kitchen faucet aerator and a low-flow showerhead. Kits will be limited to one per household and available while supplies last.

To help save water for future generations, the DOW is encouraging consumers to follow these three simple steps: Check. Twist. Replace.

• Check for leaks. Look for dripping faucets, showerheads, sprinklers and other fixtures. For toilets, put a few drops of food coloring or a dye tablet into the tank and wait 10 minutes. If any color appears in the bowl, your toilet has a leak. Don’t forget to also check irrigation systems and outdoor spigots. Examine your lawn for wet spots where grass seems greener. This could indicate a broken underground pipe. If you find a leak, have it repaired as soon as possible.
• Twist and tighten hose and pipe connections. For additional savings, twist on a low-flow aerator to each faucet to save water without noticing a difference in flow.
• Replace the fixture if necessary. Look for WaterSense labeled models, which are independently certified to use 20 percent less water and perform as well as or better than standard models.

Water loss can be significantly reduced on Kauai if all residents check their plumbing fixtures for leaks during EPA’s Fix a Leak Week, March 20 to March 24, and frequently all year long.

For more information on Fix a Leak Week, visit www.epa.gov/watersense or call the Department of Water at 245-5455 or 245-5461.

For more water saving and leak detection tips, visit www.kauaiwater.org or follow the Department of Water on Facebook at www.facebook.com/KauaiDOW and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/kauaiwater.

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WaterSense, a partnership program sponsored by EPA, seeks to protect the future of our nation’s water supply by offering people a simple way to use less water with water-efficient products, new homes, and services. Since the program’s inception in 2006, WaterSense has helped consumers save hundreds of billions of gallons of water and billions in water and energy bills. For more information, visit www.epa.gov/watersense.

The Department of Water (DOW) will be giving away free leak detection starter kits during EPA’s Fix a Leak Week at the DOW from March 20 to March 24. Pictured above is DOW staff with free leak detection starter kits. Back row (left to right): Marites Yano, Ferdinand Mariano, Terrilyn Amorin. Front row (left to right): Fay Tateishi, Mona Yamauchi, Joel Bautista.