Did you know that the average American uses 100 gallons of water every day? But we can all reduce our water use by as much as 35 percent by taking a few simple steps, such as installing high-efficiency plumbing fixtures and using water efficiently in our yards. Did you know that most landscapes receive four to ten times more water than they can use?

The City of Santa Fe is committed to protecting the future of our national and local water supply through water-efficient practices, products, and services. That is why we are partnering with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to bring to you WaterSense, a national program that offers people a simple way to make product choices that use less water—and perform as well or better than your existing products.

• Using water efficiently will conserve supplies for future generations.
• Protecting and preserving the nation’s water supply is critical to our economic future and human health.
• WaterSense labeled products and services offer equivalent or superior performance.
• Purchasing WaterSense labeled products can help you protect the environment and help you save money on utility bills.

More than one trillion gallons of water are wasted in US homes each year from easy-to-fix leaks. That's why the City of Santa Fe participates in the annual Fix a Leak Week, typically the third week in March, and we encourage you to join us.

Sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) WaterSense program as part of the We're for Water campaign, this week is an opportunity to improve the water efficiency of your home by finding and fixing leaks, which waste an average of more than 11,000 gallons of water per home each year. That's enough water to fill up a backyard swimming pool!

The fifth annual Fix-a-Leak Week was March 18-24, 2013. But it's never to late to fix a leak. Grab a wrench or contact your favorite handy person, plumber, or WaterSense irrigation partner to address leaking toilets, faucets, showerheads, and irrigation systems around your home.

Here's how you can address leaks found at home:

• Check for leaks. Look for dripping faucets, showerheads, and fixture connections as well as toilets with silent leaks, by putting a few drips of food coloring into the tank and seeing if it appears in the bowl before you flush. Don't forget to check irrigation systems and spigots too.
• Twist and tighten pipe connections. To save more water without a noticeable difference in flow, twist on a WaterSense labeled faucet aerator.
• Replace the fixture if necessary. Look for WaterSense labeled models, which are independently tested and certified to use 20 percent less water and perform as well as or better than standard models.