City offers free leak repair kits during March
Marlene Feist, City of Spokane Utilities, (509) 625-6505
Sunday, March 8, 2015 at 10:40 a.m.
A leaky faucet or showerhead that drips at a rate of one drip per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons of water a year. That’s enough for more than 180 showers.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Association estimates that household leaks like that waste more than 1 trillion gallons of water every year. To draw attention to the problem, EPA is hosting Fix-A-Leak Week, March 14 to 20, to encourage people to seek out leaks in their homes and fix them.
In Spokane, the City’s Water Department is offering customers free leak repair kits during March as part of that effort and its overall work to encourage people to “Slow the Flow” of water. Citizens can pick up a kit at the My Spokane customer service desk on the first floor of City Hall, 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd.
The Water Department says that common types of home leaks include worn toilet flappers, dripping faucets, and leaking valves.
“Our water is a precious resource. We are asking our citizens to find ways to conserve water, which will also help reduce their monthly utility bills,” says Dan Kegley, the City’s Water and Wastewater Director.
Protecting and preserving our water resources is a long-term goal of the City. The City’s Water Department must meet water conservation goals as part of state and federal requirements. The City’s adopted conservation goals strive to reduce indoor residential use by 0.5 percent annually and outdoor use by 2 percent annually.
To meet those goals, the City is working to encourage citizens to use less water, while also evaluating its own use for water reduction opportunities. The City recently implemented a wastewater bill discount for customers who use less water, encouraging lower water use. Under the credit program, the lowest 20 percent of indoor water users, based on four months of winter water use, receive credits totaling $60 a year.
The City bills customers monthly for water use. For greater consistency of billing amounts, customers can request a “budget billing” option that spreads amounts evenly across all months of the year. Customers can call 625.6000 Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. to set up budget billing.
For more water tips and information, go to www.waterstewardship.org.
