Watts awards 10 Backflow Tester Certification scholarships

Watts has selected 10 winners of a Backflow Testers of Tomorrow Scholarship in honor of the first annual National Backflow Prevention Day, held on August 16. The scholarships have been awarded to plumbers in the U.S. seeking to obtain their initial backflow tester certification.

Each scholarship covers the cost of the backflow certification course(s) and exam. Recipients also receive a free one-year subscription to Syncta backflow test management software.

The winners were chosen by a committee of Watts backflow prevention professionals based on their passion to create safe water through cross-connection control and other criteria.

“We were overwhelmed with the response we received from folks looking to obtain their backflow tester certification,” said Danielle Swanson, campaign manager at Watts. “There were a lot of great applicants, and it was hard to narrow them down to 10.”

“I am trying to start my own plumbing business and want to be able to ensure backflow devices and methods are correctly installed and functioning,” said one of the scholarship winners. “As a veteran, I worked in a civil engineer unit where cross-connection surveys and backflow prevention were critical to the success of the mission. I want to be able to continue that in the civilian sector.”

“Our goal is to support skill building and growth within the plumbing and backflow testing industries and, more broadly, assist in the growth and longevity of trades,” Swanson said. “We congratulate these scholarship winners and all the plumbers/testers who will be tomorrow’s unsung heroes of water safety