SURPRISE, Ariz. — More than 1 trillion gallons of water are lost yearly to home leaks nationwide, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data shows.
The problem is so widespread that the agency named March 20 through 26 "Fix a Leak Week." The week is meant to bring awareness to an increasingly important issue in a parched Southwest, even in the face of a historically wet winter.
Water experts around Arizona have urged residents to look for ways to save as much of the precious resource as possible, so cities don't have to overly rely on now-precious groundwater and Colorado River supplies.
In response, the City of Surprise has found an incredibly effective way to help residents save thousands in gallons and bill payments: technology that alerts residents when a leak has sprung.
The technology monitors residents' water meters and will send an alert to the resident and the city whenever it detects water flowing at a property for three days straight. City representatives then look through the alerts and will send technicians out to properties with major leaks.
The city has found over 11,000 leaks since starting the program in late 2019. the total is nearly five times the amount of leaks the city's water department usually finds in the same time frame, according to Surprise Utility Field Customer Service Lead Jordan Garner.
"In a week, we used to visit about 20 to 30 homes that we suspected had a leak ... but now, with this technology, we're going to 20 to 30 a day," Garner said.
The vast majority of the leaks found aren't coming from hard-to-fix underground piping either. Garner said the usual suspects are easy-to-access appliances, with the top three being:
- Sprinklers
- Pools
- Toilets
News of the technology was initially received with worry by the city's water department, due to fears of automation leading to layoffs.
But, instead of turning to layoffs, Surprise instead turned the city's water readers into face-to-face water ambassadors. The technology meant technicians could spend time usually spent manually reading city meters and, instead, help guide residents with major leaks on the best ways to fix them.
"The technology changed everything in our department," Garner said. "It made us way more busy. Now, with all this data we do have, we can monitor leaks and be proactive by not only helping the customer in pinpointing their leaks, but also trying to conserve water in general. Saving any bit of water helps out."
Surprise's successful job retention is similar to goals shared by industries across the nation, including efforts to transition coal workers to renewable energy.
Wondering if you have a leak but don't live in Surprise? Click here to see the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association's guide for numerous tips for homeowners to check for leaks.
Water Wars
Water levels are dwindling across the Southwest as the megadrought continues. Here's how Arizona and local communities are being affected.