Missouri American Water Sets Out to Save Homeowners Money on Their Water Bills During the EPA's Fix a Leak Week, March 18-24

Missouri American Water is leveraging the nationwide awareness campaign taking place during the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Fix a Leak Week in order to advance local water conservation goals as well as provide a savings to homeowners, property owners and businesses in the communities it serves.

The annual Fix a Leak Week is a campaign organized by the EPA's WaterSense program and this year will be observed from March 18-24. The national campaign helps to raise awareness about small leaks and other water issues that may waste water within homes. Missouri American Water is taking the campaign one step further to emphasize the huge impact individuals and businesses can make by, in essence, spending a little time being vigilant and making repairs.

"For Missouri American Water, this week is about empowering people when it comes to saving water, time and, ultimately, money," said Andrew Clarkson, vice president of operations for Missouri American Water. "Step one is making them aware ? that ?little' drip in the downstairs utility sink can contribute to thousands of gallons of water lost in a year. Step two is providing the motivation ? a small investment of time and a few dollars can end the waste and make a significant impact on your water bill. Step three is the empowerment ? teaching people to detect leaks and the best way to repair them without incurring hefty plumber bills. If each homeowner in the community does their part, we're not talking just a drop in the bucket."

According to the EPA, the average residence in the U.S. loses 10,000 gallons of water per year thanks to seemingly minor leaks. With more than 110 million households in the U.S., this equates to more than one trillion gallons of water lost every year due to leaks in the home. Moreover, it is estimated that the average homeowner can reduce his or her water bills by 10 percent simply by addressing leaks.

"Most people may not realize that even the smallest leaks can waste thousands of gallons per year," Clarkson said. "A shower head losing 10 drips per minute ends up wasting 500 gallons of water in the course of a year ? you could run 60 loads of dishes through the dishwasher with that amount of water."

On an institutional level, Missouri American Water is committed to fixing leaks by replacing or upgrading water infrastructure in order to provide clean, safe, reliable water to customers, investing nearly $200 million in infrastructure improvements in 2018 alone.

Missouri American Water also offers these starter tips for detecting leaks:

• Assess your water usage during a colder month. If a family of four uses more than 12,000 gallons during this month, there is at least one?or more likely several?serious leaks.
• Check your water meter at the start and end of a two-hour period during which no water is being used (i.e. when no one is home). If the meter changes, there most likely is a leak.
• Place a drop of food coloring in your toilet tank and see if the water in the bowl changes colors within 10 minutes. If so, you have a leak.
• At least once a season?and especially after extreme temperature changes?check faucet gaskets and pipe fittings for surface leaks, indicated by water on the exterior of the pipes.

To further assist customers with at-home leak repairs and prevention, Missouri American Water has also produced a helpful infographic including tips on finding and fixing common, and some not-so-common, indoor and outdoor water leaks. A downloadable leak detection kit is also available through American Water's website, www.amwater.com.

Missouri American Water

Missouri American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.5 million people.

With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly-traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 6,700 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 15 million people in 47 states and Ontario, Canada. More information can be found by visiting www.amwater.com.