The Pipeline: March 29, 2026
Hi there,
Welcome to this week's edition of The Pipeline. Here's what's flowing this week to keep you informed and entertained!
Fun Fact
Ancient Rome operated over 300 miles of aqueducts that delivered roughly 300 million gallons of water daily to a city of about one million people — all by gravity alone, with no pumps. Roman engineers achieved this by maintaining a precise, consistent downhill grade of just 1–3 feet per mile over hundreds of miles. Several of those aqueducts — including Aqua Virgo, built in 19 BC — still carry water in Rome today, more than 2,000 years after they were built.
Laugh of the Day
How do plumbers settle a disagreement?
They pipe down.
📋 Louisiana Plumbing License Bill Draws Industry Pushback
Louisiana House Bill 953 would allow the State Licensing Board of Contractors to issue plumbing licenses — a power currently held exclusively by the State Plumbing Board. Industry professionals are pushing back hard, warning the change could lower training standards. The current pathway to a residential plumber license requires up to 4,000 hours of supervised labor, but the bill leaves minimum training hours undefined, requiring only a hands-on exam for certification. Plumbers warn that inadequately trained workers could compromise water safety, backflow prevention compliance, and public health across the state...
👷 Replacing Illinois Lead Pipes Could Generate 90,000 Jobs
Illinois has nearly 1.5 million lead service lines still in active use, and a new report estimates that replacing them could generate approximately 90,000 jobs statewide. The initiative frames lead pipe replacement not just as a public health mandate but as a major workforce opportunity across multiple skill levels in the trades. The story highlights the dual benefit of eliminating toxic infrastructure while creating durable employment in plumbing and construction. As federal funding for lead pipe removal gets reshuffled, states are under pressure to build parallel workforce pipelines that can actually execute at scale...
💧 IAPMO Launches March4Water 2026: Tools and Training for the Trades
IAPMO kicked off its annual March4Water observance anchored by World Plumbing Day (March 11) and World Water Day (March 22), focused on how water efficiency can support community and economic growth. CEO Dave Viola emphasized that water efficiency "creates capacity for growth" by helping communities meet industrial demand while keeping drinking water clean and affordable. IAPMO is offering free tools including a Water Demand Calculator (which can save up to $190,000 on multi-family projects), a Plumbing Resiliency Toolkit, and workforce training resources. If your projects involve multi-family or commercial work, the calculator alone is worth a look...
We hope you enjoyed this week's edition of The Pipeline. Stay tuned for more updates, and as always, keep the pipes flowing! 🔧💧
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