Building on the momentum started last year, The IAPMO Group, world-leading technical experts on safe and effective plumbing systems, again celebrates March4Water, a month-long observance of the myriad ways communities derive better health and resilience through plumbing.

Centered around two global days of recognition — World Plumbing Day (March 11) and World Water Day (March 22), March4Water seeks to bring awareness to challenges and inequities in providing clean drinking water and safe sanitation, as well as the solutions the plumbing industry is producing to address them.

"Droughts, floods, climate change, waterborne illness, and healthcare-acquired infections are just a few of the water threats faced by communities worldwide, from developing nations to the 2.2 million Americans who live without running water or basic plumbing in their homes," said Dave Viola, The IAPMO Group CEO and World Plumbing Council chair. "Communities need to be plumbing resilient. We encourage the public to learn about how their local water supplies work. It's easy to take for granted, but plumbing systems are highly advanced and require an expertly trained plumbing profession to keep up with a water-stressed world."

Each week in March will focus on the following four pillars of plumbing resilience:

• Public Health + Safety
• Disaster Mitigation + Recovery
• Sustainability + Efficiency
• Affordability + Equity  

March4Water will accomplish this via a robust collection of activities and resources designed to educate and engage about the following:

• "Water: from Point A to YOU" — from where does water come and where does it go?
• Water filtration that removes lead and PFAS from drinking water.
• A global view on water stresses and workforce development from the World Plumbing Council.
• WaterSense and Fix-a-Leak Week, two highly effective EPA programs.
• Best practices for plumbing codes based on local water need in a "Plumbing Resiliency Toolkit for Communities." The IAPMO Group supports ease of implementation for advanced water technologies by geographic region with detailed customization options.

IAPMO is also meeting with elected officials in Washington, D.C., and nationwide, and invites everyone with water interests to share our education information with social media posts available at www.uniformcodes.org/march4water/.