An Uncomfortable Truth About the National Water Supply

So many Americans take our utilities for granted. We turn the faucet on, go to a drinking fountain or use the bathroom without thinking twice about the quality of our water. Thanks to advances in science and technology, we have a luxury many around the world do not: the assumption of safe, clean drinking water supply from coast to coast.

It doesn’t take much to disrupt that assumption, though. Think of Flint, Michigan, its aged utility infrastructure and the multiple scandals uncovered as a result of going back through decades of government records. Or the storm surges left in the wake of hurricanes and tropical storms. Or Texas’ Big Freeze. Any water-based crisis is a reminder that our national water supply is generally safe, but delicate.

The truth of the matter, though, is even more sobering: it’s estimated that only 35 percent of buildings and facilities in the United States are even equipped with some kind of backflow countermeasure. Two of every three buildings have no defense against water contamination.

Our main purpose here at Safe-T-Cover is to protect the equipment that protects our most precious natural resource. It’s no accident that much of our content here is about backflow preventers and valve assemblies as much as it is about the quality of our modular, marine-grade aluminum enclosures. An investment in a durable, insulated enclosure is as important as the kind of backflow prevention device you install for your buildings and facilities.

For this reason, we’re committed to playing a part in Water 2050, an initiative from the American Water Works Association driving technological transformation and greater equity in the industry and its people. We also support local ordinances and revisions to state building codes that promote a uniform standard for backflow prevention, so that there is greater consistency in the installation of backflow prevention devices and the quality therein, as well as levels of accountability and stewardship for the public good.

We all have a role to play in protecting the water supply, and it’s up to each of us to make sure our construction and infrastructure projects include a commitment to safe water. We can move meaningfully toward the day when more than two of three buildings are adequately protected from backflow events.

Yes, part of that also means it’s important that those backflow assemblies and pumps are above ground and protected from the elements, nature and vandals in a secured enclosure, and preferably one from our team here at Safe-T-Cover. The reality, though, is that we’re driven by a sense of responsibility, to protect the water supply and people alike: to think outside the vault. Our north stars are integrity and service: quality products that enable people to best protect their property, community and planet.

One in three just isn’t good enough. If you agree, contact us to see how we can help develop a waterworks enclosure solution to provide superior protection for your equipment, as well as change that ratio one project at a time.