The Current: Winter 2022
Winter 2022 - Issue LV
The WaterSense Current is a quarterly update dedicated to news and events related to WaterSense. Sign up to receive The WaterSense Current and get WaterSense news delivered right to your Inbox.
In This Issue:
- Flip Your Flapper for Fix a Leak Week
- Score a Conservation Slam-Dunk With Mulch Madness
- Saving Water in a Better Bathroom
- Big Efforts in Big Bear Bring Big Savings
- So Nice, Irvine Ranch Water District Wins Twice
- Orbit Irrigation Products and Water Savings
- The Home Depot Helps Save Water
Flip your Flapper for Fix a Leak Week
With Americans glued to their televisions during the Olympics or the Big Game this winter, there will be a lot of flushing during halftime and commercial breaks. Imagine how much water that will use! Your toilet might also be wasting water between flushes with leaks you can’t even hear. Toilet leaks can be easy to detect by placing a few drops of food coloring in the tank. If you see color in the toilet bowl after five to 10 minutes, your toilet has a leak. One of the biggest culprits of silent leaks is an old, worn-out flapper—the device that holds water in the tank, then releases water into the bowl when you flush.
Flappers are inexpensive rubber parts that or decay or wear out over time. They should be replaced about every five years. If you aren’t sure what size and type of flapper you need, take a photo of the one in your tank when you buy a new one at the store or online; note that some flappers have a foam float on the chain that needs replacing too! Installing a new toilet flapper is simple and only takes a few minutes, and can result in Olympic-sized water savings. First, turn off the water to your toilet. Next, remove the tank cover and flush your toilet to remove the water from the tank. Remove your old flapper and attach your new one. Then reattach the chain to the flapper, providing enough slack to make sure the seal is tight, but not so much that the flapper doesn’t raise up when you flush. Lastly, turn your water back on and flush.
Don’t leave water savings up to a coin flip. Flip your flapper before Fix a Leak Week, March 14 through 21, 2022, to tackle those water-wasting toilet leaks. For more information and ideas for Fix a Leak Week, visit www.epa.gov/watersense/fix-leak-week.
Score a Conservation Slam-Dunk with Mulch Madness
March isn’t just a good time for watching college basketball, it is a great time to start thinking about planning your water-smart landscape. Here’s a tipoff: using mulch around bushes and in flower beds is a sure way to score water savings. Mulch prevents evaporation, keeps soil moist, and inhibits weed growth—meaning a winning combination of healthier plants and less watering.
When choosing the type of mulch to use, consider the plant type and location of your mulch. Organic types of mulch, like wood chips and grass clippings, are great for improving soil conditions, as they add nutrients as they decompose. Inorganic mulch, such as pebbles and rocks, looks great and can help inhibit wood growth, but it may not be best in real sunny, warm areas where it can radiate heat.
Mulching will increase the efficiency of your outdoor watering by helping soil retain water, but to maximize savings you might also want to consider some substitutions in your irrigation system. One way to make your watering more effective is to add drip irrigation. This type of irrigation slowly delivers water directly to the root zone of plants, allowing more time for water to soak into the soil right where the plants need it and reducing waste due to runoff and overwatering. Equipment upgrades, such as installing a WaterSense labeled irrigation controller and WaterSense labeled spray sprinkler bodies, will be a full court press on water waste.
For more water-smart landscaping and watering tips, visit www.epa.gov/watersense/landscaping-tips.
Saving Water in a Better Bathroom
Take care of yourself—and your utility bills—by creating a better bathroom with WaterSense labeled fixtures. These fixtures are certified to perform well and are available in various finishes and styles to elevate the look of your bathroom and to fit your dream design. Whether you like a classic look or a more modern feel, there is a WaterSense labeled faucet, showerhead, and toilet for you - and at a price that will fit within your remodeling budget.
Not only will your new bathroom look great, it will lower your utility bills! Bathrooms account for 60 percent of all indoor water use and WaterSense labeled plumbing fixtures are certified to use at least 20 percent less water than standard models. And using less water in your bathroom also means using less energy, since less water needs to be heated. Giving a home's main bathroom a high-efficiency makeover by installing a WaterSense labeled toilet, faucet, and showerhead can save the average family nearly 10,000 gallons of water annually. That's equal to the amount of water needed to wash 11 months' worth of laundry (or 310 laundry loads)!
Relax in your new space and have peace of mind as your new fixtures use less water and energy—saving you money and preserving water supplies for future generations. To start looking for new fixtures that soothe and save, use the WaterSense Product Search Tool. You may even be able to save even more money on your beautiful bathroom makeover—use the Rebate Finder to see if your WaterSense labeled fixture purchase is eligible for an incentive from your local water utility.
Big Efforts in Big Bear Bring Big Savings
The City of Big Bear Lake (California) Department of Water and Power earned their second WaterSense Partner of the Year Award after another big year of saving water. The department stayed active in conservation all year in 2020, as it participated in numerous WaterSense campaigns to help its consumers and businesses save water inside and out, including Fix a Leak Week, Sprinkler Spruce-Up and Your Better Bathroom. Additionally, Big Bear Lake went above and beyond with promotion of Smart Irrigation Month, World Toilet Day, World Water Day, and more.
Although 2020 brought many challenges, Big Bear Lake was able to expand its rebate program, which includes incentives for WaterSense labeled toilets, irrigation controllers, and spray sprinkler bodies. Applying for incentives was made easy, as customers were able to send proof of installation via email and receive money back for each WaterSense labeled fixture. Throughout the year, Big Bear Lake also gave away hundreds of WaterSense labeled aerators and showerheads to residents to encourage more water savings.
Big Bear Lake also recognized the importance of teaching children the value of water to save this resource for future generations. The department reached children in the community through an art contest to celebrate Imagine a Day Without Water. Children submitted their water-themed illustrations for a chance to win prizes. Big Bear Lake also distributed WaterSmart conservation kits, which included WaterSense labeled showerheads and faucet aerators, to local fifth grade students.
So Nice, Irvine Ranch Water District Wins Twice
Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD) earned its second WaterSense Partner of the Year award, thanks to its continuous community outreach while pushing through the challenges of 2020. The California-based district hosted Don’t Spring a Leak, a virtual workshop to kick off Fix a Leak Week in March. To further promote Fix a Leak Week, the District held a contest in which over 300 people submitted photos of themselves repairing leaks or completed an online quiz for a chance to win a prize. And to encourage more savings beyond just fixing leaks, the district was able to provide rebates for over 800 WaterSense labeled products in 2020.
IRWD also helped its consumers save water outdoors though educational webinars, workshops, and creative campaigns to promote smart irrigation, water-efficient technology, and water-saving behaviors. The district hosted a webinar for Sprinkler Spruce-Up and a virtual workshop, Control Your Controller, to educate customers about the basics of sprinkler timers, control techniques, and irrigation system maintenance to maximize outdoor water efficiency. IRWD also held nine RightScape workshops to teach more than 700 participants the importance of climate-appropriate landscaping.
While ensuring safety during the pandemic, the District completed more than 175 in-person leak-check visits and tele-visits. The district also taught customers how to conduct their own irrigation audits through phone and video calls. Additionally, IRWD offered a residential direct installation program for WaterSense labeled weather-based irrigation controllers in partnership with Southern California Edison, SoCalGas, and Rachio. The district continued with its WaterStar Business Recognition Program to distribute showerheads and faucet aerators to qualifying businesses and offered a $300 rebate on WaterSense labeled toilets.
Orbit Irrigation Products and Water Savings
Committed to manufacturing and promoting WaterSense labeled irrigation products, Orbit Irrigation Products, Inc. earned its first WaterSense Partner of the Year Award. Orbit added WaterSense labeled spray sprinkler bodies to its suite of labeled products, and now 95 percent of the B-hyve controller models are WaterSense labeled. To promote its WaterSense labeled products, Orbit visited local big-box hardware stores to demonstrate how products work and highlight savings and performance to consumers. Once COVID-19 restrictions went into effect, Orbit sent B-hyve displays to over 1,000 big-box retailers, along with tear pads for retailers to promote irrigation controller rebates.
Recognizing that promotion of WaterSense labeled products goes beyond the storefront, Orbit conducted quarterly virtual trainings with irrigation professionals to encourage them to install WaterSense labeled irrigation devices for customers. Orbit also partnered with local utility districts to show residents and water managers how WaterSense labeled products help water smarter through socially distant workshops.
The Home Depot Helps Save Water
The Home Depot won a WaterSense Retailer Partner of the Year Award for being a one-stop shop for water savings. One hundred percent of the retailer’s in-store assortment of toilets, bathroom faucets, and showerheads are WaterSense labeled across nearly 2,000 stores. In 2020, The Home Depot worked with over 450 utility partners to launch the retailer’s utility rebate incentives tool in stores and online. The tool was used by millions of consumers for rebate offerings on WaterSense labeled products, representing over $3.6 million in savings and a total of $66 million in WaterSense labeled product markdowns!
Not only did The Home Depot commit to saving water with its stock of WaterSense labeled products, but also by offering water-saving workshops. In early 2020, the retailer offered its Bathroom Refresh Workshop, featuring WaterSense labeled products, to over 10,000 participants. When stay-at-home orders increased, The Home Depot pivoted in-person workshops to virtual trainings. The retailer livestreamed its Homeowners 101 workshop three times, and it received over 62,000 views!
Learn more about The Home Depot and other 2021 WaterSense Award winners by visiting www.epa.gov/watersense/watersense-awards.
Water Droplets
How much water does a toilet with a worn flapper waste each month?
- 9 gallons
- 90 gallons
- 900 gallons
Toilet leaks are often caused by a worn out flapper, which can waste as much as 900 gallons of water per month. Replacing an old toilet flapper could save more than 10,000 gallons of water per year!
