The average American home may waste more than 10,000 gallons of water every year due to running toilets, dripping faucets, and other household leaks. These leaks can significantly raise a homeowner’s water and wastewater bills and waste our limited water resources.

One of the most common types of leaks, a leaking toilet, can waste up to 200 gallons of water a day. Finding the leak is the first step in fixing the problem. In recent years, residents in Sammamish Plateau Water’s service area have saved thousands of gallons per day by fixing leaking toilets. Residents can detect and fix a leaking toilet in four easy steps:

1. Carefully remove and set aside the toilet tank lid.
2. Place a few drops of food coloring in the toilet tank.
3. Wait 15 minutes.  Do not flush the toilet.
4. If food coloring appears in the toilet bowl after that time, you may have a leaky flapper valve in your toilet.  Replace with a new flapper.

You can find more information on fixing leaks at the following websites:

Sammamish Plateau Water:  http://spwater.org/202/Using-Water-Wisely

Cascade Water Alliance:  http://cascadewater.org/conservation.php

Environmental Protection Agency Water Sense:  https://www3.epa.gov/watersense/