It may sound dramatic, but you’re essentially flushing money down the toilet if you ignore a water leak. The reason why leaky faucets keep you up at night shouldn’t be the drip drops down the drain, but rather the environmental impact they have. To illustrate, according to the Washington State Department of Ecology, “a leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons per day. That would be like flushing your toilet more than 50 times for no reason.” Therefore, reporting leaks is our civic responsibility.
Saving water is critical for today’s environmental welfare. California is already in a drought. Jay Familglietti, a water scientist at NASA, stated in March 2015 that there is only one year of surface water left and when that runs out, California will begin using underground water to supply its 37 million residents. However, ground water is hard to replace because it takes a very long time for this natural process to occur.
We also need to conserve water because there will be ecological consequences. We will have difficulty feeding animals, which will devastate livestock and endangered species. Even more, California produces the most vegetation in the United States, and this affects all of America economically and agriculturally.
Fixing leaky plumbing is one of the most effective ways to save water with the least amount of effort from the campus community! Be sure to report your leak to the right place. For those in housing and dining areas, contact HDH Maintenance and Custodial. Leaks in sports facilities areas, contact Office of Sports Facilities. Report leaks in University Centers, contact FixIt, and anywhere else on campus, contact Facilities Management via email at wsc@ucsd.edu. Make sure to state your location, the type of leak, and contact details when reporting a leak.
Check out the UC San Diego Sustainability website for tips and tricks for conserving water.
Credit: Connie Li, UC San Diego Student Sustainability Communications Volunteer