We will be offering two classes on April 10: 9:00 a.m. and 10:45 am.

To register, click on the following links (or copy and paste the link   into your Web browser address field):

• 9:00 a.m.  Workshop

• 10:45 a.m.  Workshop

Location: Skagit PUD, 1415 Freeway Drive, Mount Vernon.

Cost: $50 (Cash or checks only.) Due at sign-in.

Space is limited, so please register early.

Workshop participants will receive one barrel at the workshop.  Additional barrels can be ordered, following the class, for future   pickup.

Barrels are pre-drilled and all parts will be on hand for assembly.  No tools or skills needed. These are recycled, 55-gallon, food-grade   plastic barrels. Barrels are not “perfect” condition and may have a   scuff or blemish. Barrels vary in shape and color.

Each rain barrel comes with a 3/4 inch spigot, overflow valve, 4-5   inch diameter drain grate, mesh insect/debris screen, and a downspout   adapter.

Sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s)  WaterSense® program, this week is an opportunity to improve the water efficiency of your home by checking for and fixing leaks, which waste an average of more than 10,000 gallons of water per home each year. That’s enough water to fill up a backyard swimming pool!

Here’s how to identify and address leaks around your home:

• Check your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter changes at all, you probably have a leak.
  
  
• To determine if you have a leak, now is a great time to check water usage. If a family of four exceeds 12,000 gallons per month in the winter, you probably have leaks!
  
  
• Search for toilet leaks by placing a drop of food coloring in the toilet tank. If any color shows up in the bowl without flushing first, you have a leak. (Be sure to flush immediately to avoid staining the tank.)
  
  
• If you decide it’s time for a new toilet or faucet, look for WaterSense labeled products, which use 20 percent less water and perform as well or better than standard models. Most common leaks can be eliminated after retrofitting a household with new WaterSense labeled fixtures and other high-efficiency appliances.

 As a WaterSense partner concerned with preserving our nation’s water supply, Skagit PUD can help you learn more.

Does your water bill seem too high? Want to get a better handle on how much water you are using? As a service to our customers, Skagit PUD offers indoor Water Meter Monitors for purchase or loan. The Water Meter Monitor can be easily installed in your residence or commercial building and provides an on-demand visual display of the actual meter reading along with indication of leaks. Call our Customer Service Department to learn more at (360) 424-7104. We also have free Leak Detective tablets to help check for leaks in your toilet.

Get Involved

Fix a Leak Week is March 15 to 21, 2010. Grab a wrench or contact your favorite handy person, plumber, or WaterSense irrigation partner to address leaking toilets, faucets, and irrigation systems around your home. Visit the WaterSense Web site to learn more.

The Skagit River and its feeder streams are a main source of water for the Anacortes and PUD water systems, and your support will help maintain minimum water levels in the Skagit River that protect fisheries resources.

All customers are urged to exercise prudent restraint in using water and to conserve water voluntarily by whatever methods available. Should low water flow conditions in the Skagit River continue, or worsen, stricter conservation measures to reduce consumption and curtail discretionary water use may be requested.

Skagit PUD and the city of Anacortes invite private water system users and other localities to join in this overall effort to reduce water use.