Pennsylvania American Water Helps Educate Homeowners During EPA’s Fix a Leak Week, March 14-22

Mechanicsburg, Pa., Mar. 11, 2022– Pennsylvania American Water is leveraging the nationwide awareness campaign taking place during the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Fix a Leak Week to promote water conservation and help provide savings to homeowners, property owners and businesses. The annual Fix a Leak Week (March 14-22, 2022) is a national campaign that helps raise awareness about leaks and other water issues that contribute to water waste within homes.

“As part of Pennsylvania American Water's commitment to serving our customers, we utilize Fix a Leak Week to help people understand where and how to spot and fix common problematic leaks to improve home safety and support water efficiency and conservation,” said Pennsylvania American Water President Mike Doran.  

According to the EPA, the average residence in the U.S. loses 10,000 gallons of water per year thanks to seemingly minor leaks. With more than 110 million households in the U.S., this equates to more than one trillion gallons of water lost every year due to leaks in the home. Moreover, it is estimated that the average homeowner can reduce his or her water bills by 10 percent simply by addressing leaks.

“Many people may not realize that even the smallest leaks can waste thousands of gallons per year,” said Doran. “The average leaks in a home can account for 10,000 gallons of water wasted annually. For example, at a rate of one drip per second, a faucet can waste more than 3,000 gallons of water per year. Fortunately, most common leaks are easily detectable and correctable.”

Pennsylvania American Water is committed to fixing leaks by replacing and upgrading water infrastructure to provide safe, clean, reliable, and affordable drinking water to customers, investing over $1.8 billion in infrastructure improvements over the past five years. 

Pennsylvania American Water also offers these starter tips for detecting leaks:

• Watch the water meter and your water bill. If you notice a spike, it might be because of a leak.
• Test your meter. If you suspect you may have a leak, turn all water appliances off, then go check your meter. If it’s still showing usage, you might have a leak.
• Test your toilet. Leaks can occur in your toilet. Check by putting a drop of food coloring into the toilet tank. After 10 minutes, if any color shows up in the bowl, you have a leak.
• Listen. One of the simplest ways to watch out for leaks is to listen for dripping from your faucets or showerheads and running water from your toilet.

To further assist customers with at-home leak repairs and prevention, Pennsylvania American Water has also produced a helpful infographic including tips on finding and fixing common, and some not-so-common, indoor and outdoor water leaks. Downloadable leak detection kits are also available in English and Spanish through Pennsylvania American Water’s leak detection webpage. Other wise water use tips can be found at https://www.amwater.com/paaw/water-information/wise-water-use.

Pennsylvania 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 wastewater services to approximately 2.3 million people. For more information, visit www.pennsylvaniaamwater.com and follow Pennsylvania American Water on Twitter and Facebook.

About American Water

With a history dating back to 1886, American Water (NYSE:AWK) is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 6,400 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and regulated-like drinking water and wastewater services to more than 14 million people in 24 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to help keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.