How to catch a water thief! Use your water meter to find leaks in your home.

1. Turn off all taps and water appliances (humidifiers, ice makers) in your home.
2. Watch the triangle shaped dial on your meter.
3. If it continues to turn, you have a leak somewhere in your house.
4. Check your toilet, taps, humidifier, hot water heater, and water softener for  leaks.

Get dad or mom too detect even the smallest leak, turn off all fixtures and record the water meter reading. Leave your home for a few hours or more.    If the reading changes while you are away, you may have a leak.
OR Check your toilets for leaks. (Toilet leaks are often silent.)

1. Carefully, remove the tank lid at the back of your toilet.
2. Add a few drops of food colouring.
3. Wait two or more minutes.
4. If colour appears in the bowl, you have a leak.

Why Should Okotoks Conserve Water?
In the winter, approximately 85 gallons of water is used per person in one day.   In the summer, approximately 120 gallons per person per day is used. Without clean water the earth would be uninhabitable.

What is Recycling?
Recycling is the reduction of our garbage by re-using materials.  The recycling symbol depicts the ongoing cycle fundamental to nature.  Water falls to the earth from clouds.  As it is used, it evaporates back into the air and condenses to form clouds.  The cycle repeats.  Cycles exist for air and for all the basic elements of life.  Garbage defies this natural cycle.  To correct this, we need to create a “garbage reduction cycle.”

Why Should We Recycle in Okotoks?
Canadians are producing more garbage than ever before.  The average Canadian produces about 1.8 kilograms per day. 

What is Composting?
One third of the material sent to landfills will break down into natural elements such as water, carbon and nitrogen, given the right conditions.  Composting is a biological process that breaks down kitchen, lawn and garden wastes into soil material known as Humus or Compost.  This makes great dirt for grandma's garden! Compost reconditions the soil and improves plant growth by returning nutrients to the ground.