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Embracing Innovation to Safeguard Our Most Precious Resource
Since 2021, August 16th has marked National Backflow Prevention Day. On this day, we celebrate the technologies and professionals that protect the safety and quality of our potable water supply. Embracing advanced backflow prevention technologies is not just about compliance with backflow codes and regulations; it's about safeguarding our communities and ensuring the purity of our water supply for generations to come – together.
The 2025 Backflow Awareness Survey
Backflow preventers help protect our drinking water against contamination, but most homeowners have no idea what they are. This lack of awareness leads many to question the need for these safety measures, weakening support for regulations. To explore how awareness affects this perception, we surveyed 1,000 single-family homeowners on public water systems across the U.S. on what they know about backflow.
Advance Public Understanding of Backflow
The “Advancing Backflow Awareness to Safeguard Public Water” webinar is now available on demand!
Explore what homeowners know about backflow, the challenges of raising awareness, and what educational opportunities exist to promote backflow prevention practices. Complete the full session and earn a Certificate of Completion that may be submitted for professional development hours.
The 2025 Backflow Hero Award
This year’s recipients will be revealed on National Backflow Prevention Day! This award honors individuals who go above and beyond in protecting our drinking water—those who champion continuing education, demonstrate unwavering dedication, and inspire others in the field of backfow prevention.
The First Backflow Incident
It was the summer of 1933. Visitors traveled from far and wide to Chicago for the World’s Fair. A water supply was shared by two major hotels that were filled to capacity with tourists. Unaware of the dangerous cross connections in their plumbing system, the two hotels unknowingly allowed amoebic dysentery to spread prolitically throughout their rooms, contaminating the water consumed by their guests.
200 people became severely ill, and 98 of them ultimately lost their lives. This tragic story continues to be a driving factor in backflow innovation. As we engineer each new generation of valve, and each new connected feature, we remember that backflow prevention, at the heart of it, saves lives.
