WASHINGTON — Olympic gold medalist and Baltimore native Michael Phelps knows his way around water, and he’s helping Colgate get out the word to stop wasting it.

For the second year in a row, Phelps has signed on as Colgate’s global ambassador for its water conservation campaign, aimed at encouraging people to turn off the faucet.

Colgate says 42 percent of Americans leave the water running while they brush their teeth and it has a number of initiatives to get us all to stop doing that.

One is “Save Water with Google Assistant.”

Users with Google Home or compatible smart speakers can use the sound of running water to “replace” the sound of actual running water while brushing teeth. It also works with Amazon’s Echo line of smart speaker devices. Just say “Alexa, enable Save Water.”

Colgate has also created a water-activated drain sticker that displays the message “Turn off the faucet” when it comes into contact with water.

“While I retired from swimming two years ago, water is still very much a big part of my life and is a big part of all of our lives,” Phelps said. “This Earth Day, I want to encourage all of us to help do our part in preserving water because every drop does count.”

Phelps will use social media to encourage his followers to turn off the faucet while brushing, a move Colgate says can save up to eight gallons of water a day.