Before we get to the Big Red Challenge, let’s have a little fun with some numbers—and consider just how much water may be disappearing every day through something as simple as a leaking toilet.
According to U.S. Census estimates, Tarrant County had approximately 892,000 housing units as of July 1, 2025. That’s residential housing alone—not commercial properties, schools, restaurants, hotels, offices, or other buildings.
Now, let’s make a few assumptions.
If those 892,000 housing units average about 2.25 toilets per residence, that gives us roughly 2 million residential toilets in Tarrant County.
What if just 5% of those toilets are actively leaking because of a worn flapper, faulty fill valve, or improper adjustment?
That would be about 100,000 leaking toilets.
EPA information indicates that a continuously running toilet can waste 200 gallons or more per day, which works out to about 8.3 gallons per hour.
Do the math:
100,000 leaking toilets × 200 gallons per day = approximately 20 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER EVERY DAY.
Here's one way to put that number into perspective.
For illustration, suppose all 20 million gallons came directly from Eagle Mountain Lake. Of course, Eagle Mountain Lake does not provide all of Tarrant County's water, and the lake also serves customers outside Tarrant County. We're simply using the lake as a measuring stick to visualize the amount of water we're talking about.
At Eagle Mountain Lake's current level and surface area, 20 million gallons represents approximately one-tenth of an inch of lake level.
Think about that.
20 million gallons ≈ 1/10 of an inch of Eagle Mountain Lake.
At that rate, we're talking about the equivalent of approximately:
1 inch every 10 days.
And unlike evaporation, which we can't do much about during a hot Texas summer, a leaking toilet is preventable water loss.
These aren't just theoretical numbers to us.
At Lakeview Marina, we monitor approximately 15 toilets for leaks. On average, we find an issue with roughly one toilet per week.
And from personal experience, we can tell you that some newer-style toilets—particularly certain models with push-button flushing mechanisms on the lid—can leak at rates considerably higher than 8 gallons per hour when something isn't sealing or adjusting properly.
The frustrating part?
You often can't hear the leak.
The toilet can look perfectly normal while clean, treated drinking water quietly flows from the tank into the bowl and straight down the drain—24 hours a day.
That's where the BIG RED CHALLENGE comes in.
It's incredibly simple, takes only a few minutes, and could save you money on your water bill while helping conserve our region's water supply.
And no, it doesn't actually have to be Big Red!
You can use Big Red soda, food coloring, coffee, red wine, or another strongly colored liquid.
Pour about half a cup into the tank of your toilet.
Do not flush.
Wait a few minutes and then look inside the toilet bowl.
If it did, you have a leak.
Water is getting from your toilet tank into the bowl when it shouldn't be. The culprit may be a worn or improperly sealing flapper, a fill-valve issue, or an incorrect water-level adjustment.
And remember: check every toilet in your house.
Finding and fixing even one leaking toilet can potentially save thousands—or even tens of thousands—of gallons of water over time.
Eagle Mountain Lake is currently well below its normal conservation level. We can't control the weather. We can't stop the Texas sun from evaporating water from the lake.
But there are some things we can control.
If hundreds of thousands of toilets and other plumbing fixtures across North Texas are quietly leaking every day, that's water we can do something about.
So please, do your water bill—and Eagle Mountain Lake—a favor.
Check your toilets. Fix the leaks. Save the water.
Every gallon counts.
— Your Friends at Lakeview Marina