This October, Californians get to celebrate an unsung group of heroes in the fight against the Clog Monster: water professionals.

The California State Legislature officially designated the first week of October as California Water Professionals Appreciation Week and, in celebration, we at the RFA wanted to take some time to remind our community about the extraordinary role these professionals play in our daily lives.

Water professionals address real-time water access and sanitation issues to provide clean and usable water across the state for people, households, and businesses. Without their help, natural disasters, pipe bursts, or leaks could severely cut off access to water supply for prolonged periods of time.

These professionals team up, through organizations like the California Association of Sanitation Agencies, to educate and empower the public about public health issues related to water access. Additionally, professionals are embedded within a variety of organizations, from government services to research labs. Their work helps to increase the number of ways we use and clean water. For example, water professionals are researching ways to use water to develop better growing techniques for Californian crops, like avocados and other fruit. Some professionals are even certified for highly specialized positions within the field, like advanced water treatment operators and environmental compliance instructors.

RFA is grateful to water professionals across the state and country for their tireless work in fighting clogs, one non-flushable wipe at a time. Employed at wastewater treatment plants and agencies across the state, water professionals are our front-line defense against non-flushables, stopping clogs before they can even begin.

However, they can’t do this job alone. This California Water Professionals Week, we encourage you to help your local water professionals by reading the labels on wipes packaging at home and looking for the “Do Not Flush” symbol to know how to properly dispose of your wipes. By taking this small step, we can create a huge change in our water systems everywhere, which helps our water professionals do their job more effectively.

About Responsible Flushing Alliance

The Responsible Flushing Alliance (RFA) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization dedicated to consumer education focused on what not to flush. RFA’s goal is to change consumer behavior to help reduce damage to our nation’s sewage systems caused by objects and materials not designed to be flushed.