Local utilities offer scavenger hunt to help homeowners find water leaks

Is your bill for water suddenly higher than it was in the past even adjusting for higher rates?

Local utilities are participating this week in a federal program that may assist you. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has for many years had a program called WaterSense that offers tips.

“By making fixes, Americans put a stop to the more than one trillion gallons of water being wasted from household leaks each year,” reads an information release put out Monday by the City of Charlottesville.

So far, the website for the WaterSense program is still active despite many cuts ordered to the EPA by the Trump administration. Take a look now.

Locally, Charlottesville is participating in the program along with the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority and the Albemarle County Service Authority. One of the activities is a home scavenger hunt intended to help track down potential sources of water loss.

Entries can be mailed to the city by April 14 for potential prizes or they can be submitted electronically. Prizes are only open to Albemarle County and Charlottesville residents.

Before you go: This story initially went out in the March 19, 2025 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement. It’s a smaller story, but the hope is that each story will find one person who finds it of worth.