According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), about ten percent of homes have leaks, and
toilets are among the most common. To help tackle the issue, 228 Citrus County 3rd, 4th and 5th
grade students performed leak detection on their home toilets. The effort is part of an annual
challenge issued by Citrus County Utilities to raise awareness to the nearly 1 trillion gallons of
water lost to leaks annually nationwide. Together, students tested 333 toilets and discovered 32
leaks.
“Thank you for the opportunity to teach my students the importance of water conservation. They
absolutely loved this lesson and the experiment we conducted!" said Michelle McAvay, a 5th grade
teacher at Citrus Springs Elementary. In total, twenty classes from nine schools participated in
the project that is estimated to save nearly 6,500 gallons a day when the leaks are fixed.
Students used blue dye tablets dropped in the toilet tank to determine if the toilet leaked. If the
color appears in the bowl after waiting 15 minutes, the fixture is leaking.
Residents are encouraged to test their toilets for leaks too. Ten drops of food coloring can be
used in place of the dye tablets. Always flush color away after testing. According to EPA Water
Sense, a leaking toilet can waste hundreds of gallons a day and sometimes can be silent.
Toilet leaks are usually fixed by replacing the flapper, which can become hard and brittle over
time. The flapper is the rubber device that opens and closes to allow water into the toilet tank.
When a flapper does not fit snuggly, water leaks from the tank into the toilet bowl, and then goes
down the drain without the need of flushing. Flappers cost less than $20 and are simple enough for
the average homeowner to replace on their own.
Citrus County Utilities is doing its part to save water and ensure local water supplies last for
future generations. Learn more about how we use water by visiting www.epa.gov/watersense/our-water
and take the “I’m for Water” pledge.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency created “We’re for Water” as a national campaign to
educate consumers about water-saving behaviors and WaterSense labeled products.
Original source can be found here.
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