New York City Residents Encouraged to Repair Water Leaks as Part of Fix a Leak Week

In support of Fix a Leak Week, March 19-25, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is encouraging New Yorkers to identify and fix residential water leaks. DEP offers a full range of information on how to detect leaky pipes and toilets including leak detection tablets and a Home Water Savings Kit that can help residents conduct a do-it-yourself water audit in less than an hour. DEP has also created a brief public service announcement about detecting leaky toilets.

“New Yorkers can save money and help conserve our water supply by simply identifying and fixing leaky plumbing,” said DEP Commissioner Vincent Sapienza. “Our Automated Meter Reading system provides property owners with near real time information about their water use and an alert will automatically be sent if we detect a higher than normal use of water.”

Nationwide, household leaks can waste more than 1 trillion gallons of water annually, equal to the annual water use of more than 11 million homes. Leaks are not only wasteful, but they can also be very expensive for homeowners.

Over the last few years, DEP has introduced a number of customer service initiatives aimed at helping New Yorkers manage their water use and bills and respond promptly to leaks. These programs include the completion of a network of Automated Meter Reading devices that ensure bills are based on actual consumption and that allow customers to access data about their water use in near real time. In addition, a leak notification system has already saved customers $138 million and the agency’s leak forgiveness program has been expanded to include maintainable fixtures such as toilets and faucets to encourage homeowners to make timely repairs.

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