Press Release

PUC Highlights 2024 ‘Fix a Leak Week’

Published on 3/18/2024

Filed under: Water and Wastewater

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) today highlighted the importance of water, including its safety, efficiency and conservation efforts in conjunction with National “Fix a Leak Week,” which is March 18-24, 2024.

The annual Fix a Leak campaign challenges households across the country to check their fixtures for leaks and consider the environmental and economic impact of wasted water.

“Leaks can account for nearly 10,000 gallons of water in an average home every year—the amount of water it takes to wash 300 loads of laundry,” said Ralph Yanora, PUC Commissioner and Co-Vice Chairman of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) Committee on Water, during the Public Meeting of March 14.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an estimated 10% of all homes have leaks that waste 90 gallons or more per day. Fixing household leaks not only saves water but reduces water utility bills by about 10%.

As part of Fix a Leak Week, Pennsylvanians are encouraged to identify and fix leaks around their homes.  The PUC and EPA offer the following tips:

• Review your water usage during a colder month, such as January or February. If a family of four exceeds 12,000 gallons per month, there are serious leaks.
• Check your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter changes at all, you probably have a leak.
• Identify toilet leaks by placing a drop of food coloring in the toilet tank. If any color shows up in the bowl after 10 minutes, you have a leak. (Be sure to flush immediately after the experiment to avoid staining the tank.)
• Examine faucet gaskets and pipe fittings for any water on the outside of the pipe to check for surface leaks.

More tips for finding leaks and saving water are available on the EPA’s WaterSense website.

About the PUC

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission balances the needs of consumers and utilities; ensures safe and reliable utility service at reasonable rates; protects the public interest; educates consumers to make independent and informed utility choices; furthers economic development; and fosters new technologies and competitive markets in an environmentally sound manner.

Visit the PUC’s website at puc.pa.gov for recent news releases and video of select proceedings. You can also follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube. Search for the “Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission” or “PA PUC” on your favorite social media channel for updates on utility issues and other helpful consumer information.

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Contact:

• Denise McCracken
  Senior Communications Specialist
  717-787-5722
  demccracken@pa.gov
• Nils Hagen-Frederiksen
  Press Secretary
  717-418-2701
  nhagen-fre@pa.gov