The Industrial Revolution was a period of major technological and social transition, and in some ways its transformative effect is owed to water: the steam engine almost single-handedly kicked off the Industrial Revolution by allowing for powerful and scalable mechanical energy.
The site of Rome is said to have been chosen because it was the most favorable spot in the river Tiber. But the exploding population strained the river beyond its limits, prompting the Romans to constantly dig for new ideas to keep the city’s need for water satisfied.
The 39th Annual Tri-State Seminar, held at the prestigious South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada, has concluded as an extraordinary triumph! Standing among the exhibitors was Hydrant Guard, who fully embraced the spirit of Las Vegas with the theme “Don’t Gamble With Water.” Our team loves to go all-in to match the theme of each Tri-State Seminar, and this year was no exception.
Innovative water management practices have sprung up all over the world in different forms, influenced by local hydrological and hydrogeological conditions. Every new settlement, town or city, demands an understanding of how local water sources work, including how to exploit and protect them. And this is no less important today than it was in the past.
Some of the oldest water management inventions are wells for drawing on underground sources, and cisterns and reservoirs for collecting rainwater and snowmelt. But there are other more surprising examples from past civilizations that continue to astound us today.
Throughout recorded history, water has played a sacred role in diverse cultures around the world. Springs, rivers, and rain have been worshipped for their role in safeguarding the ties that keep communities together. And just as an abundance of water can bring peace to a warring region, the consequences of water sources drying up and the devastation of drought are infamous destroyers of civilizations.
After its first major fire in 1851, a San Francisco foundry began casting wet-barrel hydrants. A century later, Greenberg’s collaboration with water districts all over California had forever united hydrant engineering with municipal water management. But that didn’t mean the water providers and customers could live happily ever after. First, we needed assurance that the products storing and purveying water were safe, and that they functioned as a cohesive system. In short, the water industry needed regulation.
The Las Vegas Tri-State Seminar has grown into a major event in the water industry calendar, and it keeps getting better (and bigger). This year’s event hosted 4,400 attendees, an increase of over 1,000 attendees from 2022. The theme was “Weird Science: Predicting and Protecting Human Health and the Environment.” With no holds barred (and all valves checked) the Hydrant Guard team went all-in for the show.
Over 200 vendors and 1,000 attendees joined us at the Water Wise Pro Maintenance & Construction Expo in Pleasanton, CA last week. The Hydrant Guard + Advanced Conservation Management touched base with existing customers and friends, and made dozens of new connections among attendees. A special shout out goes to Steve Hernandez of WaterWisePro for putting on this event.
Until 1850, hydrant innovation focused on dry-barrel designs that worked well in the cold. But California’s climate called for different types of fire hydrants.
San Francisco was reeling from a destructive blaze in 1851. At that time, there were no fire insurance companies: what was lost in the fire was lost forever. The city didn’t even have underground water networks. A new series of projects topped the municipal agenda: digging wells, channeling water, and casting hydrants. They just needed the right manufacturer for the job: who would step up?
Getting water out of the ground remained an unsolved problem in 1800, despite all the advances in underground infrastructure; firefighters had either to plunge buckets in the nearest cistern or dig down to perforate the wooden mains that conveyed water before metal pipes.
Before the invention of hydrants, the first brigade on scene tore up the ground until they reached the wooden water main, pierced it open and flooded the dugout around the puncture. From this makeshift pool the brigade filled buckets and attached hoses. After the fire, they closed the hole in the main with a plug, and it was these plugs that gave rise to the hydrant’s original name: fireplug.
Learn more about Hydrant Guard's innovative stainless steel check valves, and how they help modern water providers conserve water.
