Did you know that an American home can waste, on average, more than 10,000 gallons of water every year due to running toilets, dripping faucets, and other household leaks? That's enough water to fill a backyard swimming pool. A dripping faucet can waste 20 gallons of water a day. A leaking toilet can use 90,000 gallons of water in a month.

All the water that goes down the drain, clean or dirty, ends up mixing with raw sewage, getting contaminated. Try to stay aware of this and turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving and always wash laundry and dishes with full loads, when washing dishes by hand, fill up the sink and turn off the water, you can also help by taking shorter showers.

Water Quality Reports: 2016

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WA State Department of Heath-Water Use Efficiency(WUE)

Water Use it Wisely - 100+ Conservation Tips

Sometimes you may have a leak and not even know it. There are often two reasons for water leaks; a leaking toilet or a leak between the meter and the house. The first step is to determine whether you actually have a leak, or are just using more water than you expected. Below are tips on how to check for water leaks.

Checking Your Meter for Water Leaks

Locate the water meter. It should be near the street under a metal, plastic, or concrete lid. The water meter is your indicator of water use. When water is not being used, nothing on the meter should be moving. Water meters have numbers or spinning dials, which record usage. Most meters also have a small “leak detector” arrow, which senses the lower volumes of water common with leaks.

Turn off every water-using item inside and outside the home or building.

Check the meter. Watch the meter for a minute or more. If the leak detector dial or arrow is moving, you have a leak. In some cases, it may move back and forth very slightly, as water pressure in the street fluctuates. If it moves forward continually, even at a slow rate, you have a leak. You may also want to check the main meter reading (numbers) at a set time, and then come back an hour later, after you know no water has been used. If it has a higher reading, there is a leak. If you suspect a toilet may be the culprit, turn the water off from the toilet shut-off valve (on the wall, under the toilet) and check the meter again.

If you still can’t locate the leak, find the shut-off valve for your home or building. It can be indoors or outdoors, but should be near the location where the water line enters the building. If you don’t know where the shut-off valve is, follow a straight line from the water meter to your building, and look for it. If you have a very large building, it is possible you have more than one main shut-off valve.

Confirm the location of the leak. If the main shut-off is closed and the meter has stopped, the leak is not between the meter and the building. If the meter still runs with the main water shut off, your leak is between the meter and the building. Since outdoor leaks are relatively rare, be sure to double-check that all indoor fixtures and outdoor hose and irrigation lines are off. Call a plumber to fix underground outdoor leaks.