Drop Those Drips

The average home can waste more than 10,000 gallons of water every year due to running toilets, dripping faucets and other household leaks. Nationwide, more than one trillion gallons of water leak from U.S. homes each year. askHRgreen.org asks Hampton Roads residents to check plumbing fixtures and irrigation systems by following the simple "check, twist and replace" procedure:

Check for leaks. Look for dripping faucets, shower heads and fixture connections. Also check for toilets with silent leaks by putting a few drops of food coloring into the tank to see if it appears in the bowl before you flush. Don't forget to check irrigation systems and outdoor spigots too.

Twist and tighten connections. To save more water without a noticeable difference in flow, twist on a faucet aerator that has a WaterSense label.

Replace the water fixture, if needed. Look for WaterSense-labeled fixtures, which are independently certified to use 20 percent less water and perform as well as or better than standard models.

For more water-related tips and news, just askHRgreen.org.

About askHRgreen.org

askHRgreen.org is your go-to resource for all things green in Hampton Roads- from recycling tips and pointers for keeping local waterways clean to water-saving ideas and simple steps to make local living easy on the environment. Launched in 2011, the region-wide public awareness and education campaign is administered through the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission and powered by the following members: The cities of Chesapeake, Franklin, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg; the counties of Gloucester, Isle of Wight, James City, Southampton, Surry and York; the Town of Smithfield and HRSD. Like askHRgreen.org on Facebook, follow on Twitter, tune in to YouTube and catch the “Let's Talk Green” blog, written by a team of local experts.