PM Engineer’s inaugural Top 20 young professionals to watch in the plumbing industry.

It’s been four years since the American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE) last held its convention and expo. The normally biannual event was canceled in the fall of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s easy to believe that the organization — and its members — are ready to get back to business. The 2022 ASPE Convention & Expo returns Sept. 16-21 in Indianapolis.

PM Engineer’s inaugural Top 20 young professionals to watch in the plumbing industry.

PM Engineer’s inaugural Top 20 young professionals to watch in the plumbing industry.

In this weekly feature, Plumbing Group Chief Editors Nicole Krawcke and Natalie Forster highlight the industry’s latest news stories.

Last month, Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act, representing the largest investment in clean energy sources in U.S. history. Though the bill is entitled “Inflation Reduction Act,” it's really a “climate change bill with a side helping of health reform,” as New York Times Columnist Paul Krugman describes.

PM Engineer’s inaugural Top 20 young professionals to watch in the plumbing industry.

I was first introduced to black water in 1972 as an apprentice at F. W. Behler, where I had just begun the never-ending learning curve. We were draining a hydronic hot water system that served a large row home with standing cast iron radiators. The water was dark colored and smelled a bit funky, but it was explained, to me, that this was perfectly normal and highly desirable because that indicated the hydronic water was essentially devoid of free oxygen.

There has been a lot of discussion and new guidance documentation about Legionella in building water systems and the implementation of water management programs (WMP) for ongoing operations. This has led to discussions about plumbing engineering best practices to allow the building water distribution system (BWDS) to operate efficiently and safely when the building is occupied.

In this weekly feature, Plumbing Group Chief Editors Nicole Krawcke and Natalie Forster highlight the industry’s latest news stories.