Customers stepping up and fixing leaks, water district says

South Coast Water District customers are saving millions of gallons of water during the severe statewide drought by finding and fixing leaks in their plumbing and sprinkler systems, according to a district news release.

The district, which serves residents and businesses in South Laguna, Dana Point, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano, identified 1,000 customers earlier this year who were using water 24 hours a day, a sure sign of a leak, the release said.

To date, more than 750 of the customers have fixed the problems, mostly from leaky toilets, the release said. A single toilet can waste 30 gallons or more of water per day.

Personal letters were sent to each customer offering assistance at no charge to help determine the cause of their leak.

In the past five months, the 750 customers who repaired leaks in response to the district’s letter have saved an estimated 190 million gallons of water, equal to the total water used by about 1,800 average households for one year, according to the release.

“We are very grateful for the significant 75% response rate to this call to remedy leaks,” water district General Manager Andy Brunhart said in the release. “Our customers care and will do the right thing, if they know about it.”

In July, the district sent out an additional 600 personal letters to customers after identifying potential water leaks at their residences.

South Coast customers who would like a complimentary packet of dye tablets to safely test toilets for leaks can email [email protected] or call (949) 499-4555, Ext. 1.

—Bryce Alderton

Twitter: @AldertonBryce