Gilbert's drinking water supply faces growing pressure, and the town is taking steps to help residents find leaks they may not know they have.
Nearly 70% of Gilbert's drinking water is used outdoors. Town officials say hidden leaks in pools and irrigation systems can quietly drain thousands of gallons of water every month from individual homes.
"Water is growing even more scarce in Arizona and we're having a lot of contention with the Colorado River," Jordyn Williamson with the Town of Gilbert said.
More than 40% of Gilbert's supply comes from the Colorado River, a source under growing pressure from drought and regional demand. To get ahead of it, the town is fast-tracking 8 new wells and making multimillion-dollar upgrades to its North Water Treatment Plant.
"We're having to make some changes and be a little bit more on top of our consumption," Williamson said.
The town is also sending specialists directly to residents' homes to find problems people don't know they have.
During one visit, Williamson identified a pool leak at a Gilbert home.
"What we found when we got here is that there was a little bit of usage on your meter... about 6000 gallons per month if it's running nonstop. We were able to isolate that to your pool," Williamson said.
For Gilbert resident Ellen Morella, that visit flagged an issue she never would have caught on her own.
"The valve is likely just running more than it needs to or is not closing at all," Williamson said.
Officials say Morella's situation is not unusual. Irrigation systems, landscaping, and small unnoticed problems can quietly add up, and most homeowners have no idea.
"I'm happy that they're going to do something about it. If we're low on water, find out why and what we can do about it," Morella said.
More information about the program can be found here.
