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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 14-18

March 18, 2014

CONTACT:

deppressoffice@dep.nyc.gov (845) 334-7868

Department of Environmental Protection Announces Fix a Leak Week Outreach Events

In New York City a Running Toilet Can Cost a Homeowner up to $50 per day

New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Emily Lloyd today announced that DEP will host a series of public outreach events this week at select Home Depot hardware stores around the city to educate New Yorkers about the high cost of residential water leaks and simple steps homeowners can take to detect leaks and repair them. The outreach events are being held in recognition of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Fix a Leak Week which is celebrated each March to remind Americans to check their household fixtures and irrigation systems for leaks. At DEP’s outreach events, staff will distribute literature along with leak detector dye tablets designed to quickly identify leaky toilets. In addition, DEP has created a brief public service announcement about detecting leaky toilets that can be viewed on YouTube.

“What many homeowners don’t know is that a small leak or running toilet can waste a lot of water and result in higher water bills,” said DEP Commissioner Emily Lloyd. “The good news is that there are simple and inexpensive steps New Yorkers can take to detect and repair leaks before they lead to higher costs.”

Nationwide, household leaks can waste more than 1 trillion gallons of water annually, equal to the annual water use of more than 11 million homes. Leaks are not only wasteful they can also be very expensive for homeowners. In New York City, a running toilet can waste between 30 and 4,000 gallons of water each day and cost homeowners up to $50 per day. Common types of leaks found in the home include worn toilet flappers, dripping faucets, and other leaking valves. All are easily correctable and making simple repairs can save homeowners on their water bills. For more tips on detecting leaks and making repairs click here.

DEP’s Fix a Leak Week events will be held at Home Depot’s at the below times and locations:

  • Tuesday March 18, 2pm-7pm, 5602 Avenue U, Brooklyn NY
  • Tuesday March 18, 2pm-7pm, 50-10 Northern Boulevard, Queens NY
  • Friday March 21, 2pm-7pm, 1906 Gun Hill Road, Bronx NY
  • Saturday March 22, 10am-2pm, 2750 Veterans Road, Staten Island, NY

DEP has introduced a number of customer service initiatives aimed at helping New Yorkers manage their water use and bills. These programs include the completion of a network of Automated Meter Reading devices that ensure bills are based on actual consumption and that allow customers to access data about their water use in near real time, a leak notification system that has already saved customers more than $40 million and the Water Debt Assistance program which helps property owners at risk of foreclosure manage their water and sewer debt.

Providing the highest quality service to its customers is one of the goals outlined in Strategy 2011-2014, a far-reaching strategic plan that lays out 100 distinct initiatives to make DEP the safest, most efficient, cost-effective, and transparent water utility in the nation.

DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing more than one billion gallons of high quality water each day to more than 9 million residents, including 8.4 million in New York City, and residents of Ulster, Orange, Putnam, and Westchester counties. This water comes from the Catskill, Delaware, and Croton watersheds that extend more than 125 miles from the City, and the system comprises 19 reservoirs, three controlled lakes, and numerous tunnels and aqueducts. DEP employs nearly 6,000 employees, including almost 1,000 scientists, engineers, surveyors, watershed maintainers and others professionals in the upstate watershed. In addition to its $68 million payroll and $157 million in annual taxes paid in upstate counties, DEP has invested more than $1.5 billion in watershed protection programs—including partnership organizations such as the Catskill Watershed Corporation and the Watershed Agricultural Council—that support sustainable farming practices, environmentally sensitive economic development, and local economic opportunity. In addition, DEP has a robust capital program with over $14 billion in investments planned over the next 10 years that will create up to 3,000 construction-related jobs per year. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook at facebook.com/nycwater, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/nycwater.

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