Sunday Is Last Day To Pick Up Free 'Leaky Toilet' Detection Tabs

East Bay Municipal Utility District’s program with hardware stores to help customers fix the most common source of indoor water waste – leaky toilets -- ends March 22.

The district partnered with 41 East Bay hardware and plumbing supply stores to make free toilet tank leak detection tabs available to customers as part of the Environmental Protection Agency’s annual national Fix a Leak Week campaign. (See store locations here.)

The average EBMUD household uses about 250 gallons per day; a bad toilet leak can waste 200 gallons of water, according to the utility.

The non-toxic, easy-to-use, blue dye tabs should be placed in toilet tanks. If there is a leaky flapper, within 15 minutes the tabs will turn the water in the toilet bowl blue, EBMUD officials said.

The free dye tabs are at participating hardware store registers and counters through Sunday. After March 22, customers can request free dye tabs at ebmud.com, by calling 866-403-2683, or by visiting EBMUD Water Conservation at 375 11th Street in Oakland during normal business hours.

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• $ 1 Billion Need to Tackle Threat Posed by Drought, Governor Says

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