The Pipeline: May 11, 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
The pipe wrench you keep on your truck is essentially a 156-year-old invention. Daniel C. Stillson — a steamfitter on a Civil War-era U.S. Navy steamship — patented the design in 1869, with a heel jaw that grips harder under load thanks to its self-tightening geometry. He sold the patent to a Massachusetts manufacturer for around $80,000 (roughly $2 million today), and the design has barely changed since. The formal name for the tool is still "Stillson wrench" in his honor — every wrench you reach for traces directly back to one Navy steamfitter solving a problem on a ship.
😆 Laugh of the Day
Why was the plumber late to his own wedding?
He couldn't find the right fitting.
💧 42-Inch Water Main Built in 1975 Bursts in Oakland County, Affecting 10,000 Customers
At 1:30 AM on Sunday, May 10, a 42-inch transmission water main from 1975 ruptured under River Woods Park in Auburn Hills, Michigan, dropping the Orion Township Water Tower from 44.5 feet to 33 feet of water in hours and triggering a multi-community advisory across Auburn Hills, Orion Township, and the Village of Orion. Officials had found a leak on the same line just four days earlier — and now expect a roughly two-week recovery. It's a snapshot of what happens when half-century-old infrastructure finally lets go, and a reminder of where a lot of plumbing work is heading: into the failures of a system the country is overdue to replace...
📊 AWWA: U.S. Drinking Water Infrastructure Will Need $2.1 Trillion Over the Next 25 Years
The American Water Works Association released its 2026 State of the Water Industry Report on April 30, finding that drinking water infrastructure needs will exceed $2.1 trillion over the next 25 years — a 168% increase in annual capital investment from current levels. Fewer than half of utilities (43%) can fully cover operations through rates today, and one-third report being "borderline" on long-term supply. AWWA's framing is direct: this is an end of an era. For plumbers, that means more service line replacements, more retrofit work, and more clients dealing with rate shock — the work is there, but it'll come with hard conversations...
🏛️ PHCC and ASA Take Plumbing Industry Concerns to Capitol Hill
The Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors-National Association (PHCC) co-hosted its 2026 Legislative Conference with the American Supply Association (ASA) on May 5–6 at the YOTEL in Washington, D.C., bringing contractors face-to-face with members of Congress. The advocacy agenda focused on three priorities: protecting America's energy future, reforming energy policy, and supporting workforce development programs and registered apprenticeships. Government affairs strategist Brent Buchanan delivered the keynote on how contractors can effectively engage policymakers — useful framing in a year where energy and workforce policy are both moving fast at the federal level...
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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