According to CDA spokesman Ken Geremia, "The vast majority of homeowners depend on copper to stay cool, warm and refreshed. What many people don't realize is that indoor plumbing, as we know it, began with copper here in the United States some 75 years ago, and it's still the most dependable material used for transporting water."

Geremia added that "no one really knows where or when the first copper plumbing system was installed, but the evidence points to sometime around 1927-28." To commemorate the anniversary, CDA is holding a nationwide search for historic, noteworthy or otherwise significant copper plumbing installations from that era. It won't matter if the plumbing is in a castle or an outhouse, Geremia said, as long as it's suitably ancient, still in service and made of copper.

If you've got a plumbing system or are currently servicing one that fits this description, CDA would like to hear about it. Send the information (and photos, if available) by regular mail to Plumbing 75, Copper Development Association Inc., 260 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016, copper-topics@cda.copper.org. Please indicate any records or verification of the installation date that may exist. Photocopies of documents are preferred, as original documents and photographs cannot be returned. CDA reserves the right to publish any materials submitted.

All those who submit information on a qualified copper system will receive a certificate from CDA certifying their home as "A Copper Quality Home."