If that whatchamacallit you invented is saving your utility time and money, it could earn you a little pocket change as well as recognition among your peers.
Tell Opflow about your original device by entering the annual Gimmicks & Gadgets Contest.
Winners are featured in the October issue of Opflow and honored at the AWWA Water Infrastructure Conference in October.
For rules and guidelines, as well as a list of past winners, visit the Gimmicks & Gadgets Awards page.
Thanks to Integra Chemical Company, makers of Vita-D-Chlor, for sponsoring the Gimmicks & Gadgets Contest!
In 2021, we pitted past winners against each other for the Gimmicks & Gadgets Showdown. Congratulations to the winners! They received the following cash prizes: $800 (first), $400 (second), and $300 (third). Check out the articles and videos below to learn more about the winning entries.
Swabbie Hand Pig Simplifies Cleaning Repaired Mains
The Swabbie Hand Pig helps John Lins and his team at Des Moines Water Works clean and disinfect the interior of any diameter or length of pipe before installing it into a distribution system during water main repairs.
Watch a video about it.
Night Light Illuminates Meter Boxes
To make it easier to service water meters in the dark, Mike Blake, a customer service technician at the City of Central Point, Ore., created the Night Light.
Hydrant Helper Extracts Hydrant Seats
Jim Pollett, an environmental scientist with the government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, designed the Hydrant Helper to help remove and repair inner hydrant assemblies.