NORTH ANDOVER, MA — Watts has named Kathy Riley, Mike Brune and Pete Bertagna as recipients of its 2026 Backflow Hero Award, recognizing their contributions to backflow prevention, cross-connection control and drinking-water protection. Recipients were selected by the Watts backflow leadership team from nominations submitted through the company’s website.

The annual award recognizes professionals who demonstrate a commitment to protecting drinking water, advancing backflow prevention practices, educating others and promoting industry best practices.

Riley Leads Backflow Compliance and Advocacy Efforts

Kathy Riley, compliance specialist with Charlotte Water, has decades of experience in backflow compliance, cross-connection control and customer service. Her technical expertise and focus on education have made her a resource for utilities, industry partners and backflow professionals.

Riley has also taken a leadership role in responding to North Carolina legislation SL2024-49, which reduced backflow preventer installation requirements and extended testing intervals. She worked directly with legislators, presented to the North Carolina Rural Water Association and helped organize stakeholders around education and advocacy efforts.

As she prepares to serve as president of the American Backflow Prevention Association, Riley continues to focus on protecting public drinking water and advancing awareness of backflow prevention.

Brune Built a Legacy of Backflow Education

Mike Brune, senior solutions engineer with RepMasters, has spent more than four decades supporting backflow prevention and cross-connection control throughout Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region.

Known as the region’s “backflow guru,” Brune helped develop cross-connection control programs as local jurisdictions, utilities and waterworks organizations expanded their backflow prevention efforts. He is a founding member of the American Backflow Prevention Association, a former ASSE instructor and one of the primary authors of the Colorado Cross-Connection Control Manual.

Brune has led thousands of seminars and continues to support backflow training efforts in semi-retirement. His influence extends through the professionals he has trained and the backflow programs and resources he helped establish.

Bertagna Advanced Backflow Product Development

Pete Bertagna, engineering manager at Watts before retiring in 2026, spent more than 36 years with the company and played a significant role in the development of its backflow product portfolio.

Bertagna helped advance product innovation, certification, manufacturability and performance across the portfolio. He holds three patents, including two related to backflow prevention assemblies and one associated with the development of Watts’ exclusive ArmorTek® coating system.

Throughout his career, Bertagna also served as a technical representative to leading industry organizations. His technical expertise, industry relationships and focus on continuous improvement contributed to the development of reliable and compliant backflow prevention solutions for customers worldwide.

Awards Highlight Backflow Prevention’s Broader Impact

Together, the three recipients represent different aspects of the backflow prevention field, from regulatory compliance and public outreach to technical education and product development. Their work reflects the role that trained professionals, effective cross-connection control programs and continued product innovation play in protecting potable water supplies.

To learn more, visit watts.com/our-story/backflow-hero-award.