News Flash

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MARCH  18, 2024

Put on Your Detective Hat to FIND and FIX Water Leaks in Your Home by Going on a Home Scavenger Hunt!

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - The City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County Service Authority (ACSA), and Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority (RWSA) are celebrating finding and fixing leaks this Fix a Leak Week to help encourage our community to save water and FIX A LEAK!

Fix a Leak Week, (March 18^th – 24^th) is a national campaign sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) WaterSense program, which seeks to inform the public on how to identify and fix leaks. By making fixes, Americans put a stop to the more than 1 trillion gallons of water being wasted from household leaks each year.

This year for Fix a Leak Week, we are focusing on finding and fixing water leaks in your home with the help of a Home Scavenger Hunt. The Fix a Leak Home Scavenger Hunt helps you get to know your water fixtures and make sure that none are leaking in your home. Complete the Home Scavenger Hunt Worksheet (PDF) and submit (electronically, drop off, or by mail) by April 12^th to be entered to win a special prize (prizes eligible to City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County residents only).

For Fix a Leak Week, we want to remind the community to help save water and keep our water supply sustainable. Three steps you can do this spring to save water are to check, twist, and replace:

• CHECK for leaks. Look and listen for running toilets and dripping faucets, showerheads, sprinklers, spigots, and other fixtures.  
• TWIST and tighten hose and pipe connections. To save water in your bathroom without a noticeable difference in flow, twist on a WaterSense labeled faucet aerator. 
• REPLACE the fixture if necessary. Look for WaterSense labeled models. These models are independently certified to use 20 percent less water and perform as well as or better than standard models. 

Lastly, we want to ask everyone to take 10 minutes to check their toilet for leaks. Some running toilets can be silent and can be a huge water waster. Charlottesville residents can pick up toilet leak detection dye tablets and a universal toilet flapper at the Office of Utility Billing. To check if your toilet is leaking:

1. Drop a toilet leak detection dye tablet or 3 drops of food coloring into your toilet’s top tank and wait 10 minutes.
2. If the dye shows up in the toilet bowl, you have a leak!
3. Don’t forget to flush the toilet afterwards to remove any leftover dye.
4. If your toilet is running, check out some next steps on our website including picking up a free universal toilet flapper or our $100 WaterSense toilet rebate if you need to replace your toilet.

“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 Jill Greiner, the City of Charlottesville’s Water Efficiency Program Coordinator. “As a WaterSense partner, we encourage the community to find and fix leaks with the help of our scavenger hunt to save water in our community.”

More information about the Fix a Leak Week, the Home Scavenger Hunt Worksheet, and how to find and fix water leaks: www.charlottesville.gov/FixALeak

Media Contact
Jill Greiner
Water Efficiency Program Coordinator
City of Charlottesville
434-970-3877
greinerj@charlottesville.gov