After the AWWA event last week, my family and I decided to spend an extra day in Atlanta and hit the White Water Adventure park. Maybe it was my three-day ACE '08 exposure to all things “pumps” and all things “water,” but while climbing the massive mountains that led to the peaks of the water slides, I found myself wondering . . . “What kind of pumps are getting all that water to the top?”

It's not something I would have considered or even given a second thought before working for Pumps & Systems.

What's the old adage about not seeing the forest for the trees?  Well, I can assure you that after only six months with P&S, I now see pumps everywhere!  And so does my family.  This weekend, my sportswriter husband was watching his favorite television show “Modern Marvels” on The History Channel International. The subject of the documentary . . . The History of Pumps.  I might not have taken the time to watch this show seven months ago, but this weekend it became appointment TV in our home.  If you get this station, set your TiVO because it will be shown over and over again.  It's worth it.

The documentary explored the simplicity of pumps – how they move water and viscous materials from Point A to Point B – but then went on to explain the not-so-simple physics of it all.  I didn't realize pumps were one of civilizations oldest inventions, dating back to 200 B.C. And I didn't realize that the viscosity of peanut butter is ten times that of oil . . . and there is a pump that will move it. The documentary explained, “No matter the viscosity of the liquid, there is a pump that can suck, push or lift it to its destination.”  I also learned that “More than 2,000 years of pump technology has taken us from the archaic screw to the artificial heart. Pumps are the unsung heroes of industry and everyday life.”

My husband has covered the World Series, the Super Bowl and the BCS championship game, yet he was mesmerized by a one-hour education in pumps. It's nice to know that pumps are at work all around us, making an impact in our daily lives . . . even when we may not notice them.