Gabriel Gomez, Operations Manager at Liberty Utilities, knows all too well how to identify a hydrant ‘knockoff.’ For a man who’s dealt with the problems caused by knockoffs for over 25 years, putting an end to emergencies from water surges has been long overdue.

After more than 30 years in the water industry, Danny Aceves knows how things work on (and under) the ground. Since his promotion to Distribution Supervisor for the City of Pomona, he’s been tasked, among other priorities, with a bigger challenge: how to protect city assets and private property from broken hydrants.

Danny’s team deals with a hydrant shear roughly once every ten days. The vast majority of hydrant shears don’t make the news (in 15 years at Pomona, Danny hasn’t seen a single one picked up in the media). He considers this fortunate but doesn’t take it for granted.