It is hard to know where to start when it comes to a man who has given his life to an industry he loves so very much.

It began in 1963 when Bernie Clarke became a licensed plumber. Mr. Clarke has been a certified backflow tester for over 45 years. In 1976 he started his own testing company, Backflow Prevention Device Tester. Bernie’s company, which he is still actively involved in, tests, and certifies over 4,000 backflow prevention assemblies a year. They also work with communities and water agencies on water conservation.

Mr. Clarke has also developed a number of products for use in the water industry. One of Bernie’s first big design was the PVS-1000 Station, which is an all stainless-steel manifold for domestic water use. Mr. Clarke after he started his career as a plumber with Los Angeles Unified School District didn’t understand why schools and other buildings of such importance were putting themselves at risk and holding themselves liable should their water be turned off due to a backflow testing or repairs. He felt it was of the utmost importance for schools to have water at all times. He designed this dual backflow station to eliminate the problem and inconvenience of being without water. It provides a building with constant uninterrupted water supply because all of the components are designed dual or in parallel with one another. As a result, if there is an issue with one part or leg of the station, the school or building will still have water through the other leg. These stations are still being designed, manufactured, and installed to this day.

Bernie also designed the BIC-1000 Station, which is focused on irrigation use and water conservation. Bernie knew well before California announced a drought that he wanted to be at the forefront of water conservation. He was witnessing firsthand the daily amount of water being wasted while simply irrigating a median, a slope, or even a yard. Mr. Clarke was also frustrated seeing too often the irrigation valves, including the flow meter, master valve, regulator, being buried in the ground. These valves were not being checked regularly to verify they were working because no one wanted to dig them up out of the dirt and water. It was an out of sight, out of mind mentality. So, Bernie decided to bring all of these components above ground onto the BIC-1000 Station. Above ground they could be seen and worked on at anytime. It makes a huge difference for the personnel maintaining these stations. The BIC-1000 Station also includes an ACV (automatic control valve), not a direct acting type regulator, which you normally find on irrigation. An ACV will provide a system with a lot more volume of water but will be able to keep a constant pressure, which is not something a direct acting regulator can do. This allows the pressure to be brought down considerably, but still provide enough water to irrigate adequately and conserve a tremendous amount of water. There are now over 100 BIC-1000 Stations installed and the design is still being specified and installed.

Mr. Clarke has recently invented what he calls the high/low valve, to once again focus on water conservation. His company works closely with many surrounding cities and often work on their water usage with regards to slopes and pumps being used for these slopes. Bernie saw the vast difference in pressure needed at different elevations in irrigation systems. High pressure at the top of the slope, verse the low pressure needed at the bottom of the slope. At times, the bottom of the slope is being saturated with the same high pressure needed at the top, because that is what is provided in traditional system designs. This can result in an enormous amount of wasted water at the bottom of the slopes and Bernie knew he could do better and he could find a solution to cut this pressure down at the bottom of the slope and save thousands of gallons of water. He is currently introducing this new high/low valve throughout California because he knows there is always more that can be done to conserve water and make a difference.

Mr. Clarke has worked hand in hand with many manufactures to advance their USC one-year field test backflow test site programs. He started in the 80’s with Watts and he continues to work with Watts to this day, as well as Ames, Febco, Beeco, Apollo/Conbraco, and ARI.

In 1980, Bernie started speaking throughout the country about backflow preventers and programs. He also assisted in a United Kingdom training program, where students came to the United States and shadowed Bernie on his daily testing procedures.

Mr. Clarke partnered with Watts Regulator on designing a polymer-coated backflow prevention assembly, the 009M2PCQT reduced pressure principle assembly, which is still widely sold in the industry today. He worked very hard with their engineering staff to develop a backflow assembly that was reliable.

In 1991, Bernie assisted the Valencia Water Co. in starting and designing their backflow prevention program and the form he designed is still used to this day. He has also assisted many mutual water companies with organizing and developing a backflow program for their communities.

Bernie was one of the three original co-authors of IAPMO’s Backflow Prevention Manual, and he also authored numerous articles for Drinking Water & Backflow Prevention Magazine.

Bernie was a contributing professional to the IAPMO’s 2006 Backflow Prevention Reference Manual. This manual was distributed nationally as a reference manual for backflow testing and repairs. In 2005 Bernie was given the Industry Leadership Award from IAPMO / Drinking Water and Backflow Prevention Magazine. It was an honor for him to be acknowledged by his peers for his hard work.

Bernie developed the one-hose testing method, which is an accredited backflow testing procedure used throughout the country. Bernie has proven that the one hose testing method is the most accurate way to test a backflow, without a doubt, and he has proven this over and over again. It was a great accomplishment for Bernie when the one hose testing method was acknowledged as an accepted backflow testing method. He takes a lot of pride in knowing others will be testing more accurately because of him.

At its recently held 2020 annual conference Mr. Clarke was presented the Rand Ackroyd Award from American Society of Sanitary Engineering International. This award is presented on an annual basis to an individual who that has expressed a thorough knowledge and true dedication to the ASSE backflow prevention program or the backflow prevention industry by their efforts in protecting our drinking water through cross-connection control and education. This was a huge surprise to him, because he did not know he had been nominated for this prestigious honor.

Bernie is 81 years young and his greatest passion in life is still backflow prevention and the world around it. He has made it his life’s work to betterment of the cross-connection industry and bring forth any innovative ideas he has to advance the industry. Bernie is never satisfied with the status-quo. He always expects better out of himself and the people around him. He has run a successful company for almost 45 years and during that period of time he has pushed some buttons, but he has also made great strides in moving the industry forward. He never backed down from something he believed could make the backflow industry better and he made it his mission to prove that to others. Bernie often has specialists from water companies, health departments, plumbing companies and backflow testing companies call him for his expertise because they know they will get an honest and accurate answer. He is a trusted voice in our industry, not only because of his decades of service, but because of his eagerness to continue learning and providing guidance to others along the way. He is always a willing ear for a new idea or a generous hand to guide the way of another innovator for the industry. He never sits complacent; he encourages, and embraces change if it helps to further advance our industry. He is an icon of our industry and someone to admire for his many accomplishments and Bernie isn’t quite ready to rest his feet just yet, he knows there is always still work to be done and progress to be made.