Fortunately, most leaks are simple to find if you know where to look, and many common household leaks are easy to fix, requiring only a few tools and hardware that can pay for themselves in water savings.

Tracking down leaks and fixing them is important because the households can lose more than 10,000 gallons of water each year through leaks. That’s about 270 loads of laundry! Some water leaks are slow and difficult to detect, yet even the smallest leaks can add up quickly.

Fix a Leak Week is a national campaign, created by the EPA and supported by WaterSense partners across the U.S. and Canada, aimed at educating residents on the importance of finding and fixing plumbing leaks to save money on water and energy bills.

EGLE’s Office of the Clean Water Public Advocate encourages Michiganders to find and fix leaks within their home and share information about leaks with others during Fix a Leak Week. Check out Michigan.gov/FixALeakWeek for some practical tips on finding and fixing household leaks, materials you can share on social media, and educational resources to get kids engaged. If you decide to get involved, share a photo and tag your post with #FixALeakWeek.

Finding and fixing leaks can save money and energy and reduce potential public health risks for you and your community. It takes a lot of energy to deliver and treat the water you use every day. By repairing leaks, you reduce energy and water waste, which can lower your bills.

Water is part of what we love about Michigan (the Great Lakes are the largest fresh surface water system on earth, and don’t forget what’s underneath us – groundwater!). It’s important to be good stewards to this amazing resource that surrounds us.

For more information, including video tutorials on fixing common household leaks, visit the EPA’s Fix a Leak Week page. If you’ve already determined you have leaks and these resources aren’t enough to stop them, it might be time to contact a plumbing professional. When replacing fixtures, consider those with a WaterSense label, which could increase your home’s water efficiency and lower your bill.

For more information, visit Michigan.gov/FixALeakWeek.