IAPMO Supports White House Initiatives to Improve Global Water Security, Modernize Building Codes |
The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials® (IAPMO) strongly supports the White House initiatives announced Wednesday to address global water security and advance building codes and standards. These new action plans will assist communities in becoming more resilient to extreme weather events, such as drought, and have broader access to affordable water and sanitation services.
In a related development, IAPMO also applauds the release of a report by the administration’s Drought Resilience Interagency Working Group. The report outlines the actions the Biden-Harris administration has taken across the federal government to date to improve drought-stricken communities’ longer-term resilience to drought through financial and technical assistance.
The administration notes that extreme weather events not only threaten millions of U.S. homes each year, but also take an even greater toll on underserved communities.
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IAPMO Advances Development of 2024 Uniform Codes During Technical Committee Meetings |
IAPMO® recently completed Technical Committee Meetings toward the proposed 2024 editions of the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC®) and Uniform Mechanical Code (UMC®), in-development American National Standards governing the installation and maintenance of plumbing and mechanical systems nationwide.
During the May 2-5 meetings at the Sheraton Park Hotel at the Anaheim Resort, the two committees acted on a total of 358 comments on previously submitted proposals to amend the 2021 editions of the Uniform Codes.
The UPC Technical Committee acted on 155 public comments. Topics generating the most debate included rehabilitation of existing building sewers, common-use facilities, and Legionella risks. Other topics discussed included building service and supply piping, pitless well systems, two-way cleanouts, freeze protection, tankless water heater connections, waste piping, greywater systems, indoor horticultural facilities, and professional qualifications.
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IAPMO Supports U.S. Sen. Baldwin’s Healthy Drinking Water Affordability Act |
IAPMO strongly supports The Healthy Drinking Water Affordability Act, or The Healthy H2O Act, which would provide grants for water testing and treatment technology directly to individuals, nonprofits and local governments in rural communities.
Introduced by U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin), The Healthy H2O Act would provide grants for water quality testing and the purchase and installation of point-of-use or point-of-entry water quality improvement systems that remove or significantly reduce contaminants from drinking water. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) would provide the grants directly to individuals and nonprofits or local governments to help people go through the process of water testing and then finding and installing a water treatment product to address their situation.
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New Poll Shows Half of Voters Are Not Familiar with the Federal Infrastructure Bill, but 3 of 4 Supported Water Infrastructure Measures Once Informed |
The Value of Water Campaign recently released the results of its seventh annual national poll—The Value of Water Index. The poll annually tracks voters’ opinions and concerns around water infrastructure, climate, the environment, and other water issues. This year, the poll also asked questions about the recently passed Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, or IIJA. Read the full results of the Value of Water Index here.
When asked how familiar they were with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that passed last year, only 11 percent said "very familiar" and 37 percent said "somewhat familiar", for a total of 48 percent having some confidence that they knew about the bill. Forty-nine percent said they were not familiar with the bill.
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IAPMO and AWWA Seek Public Input on Manual of Recommended Practices for the Safe Closure and Reopening of Building Water Systems |
IAPMO® and the American Water Works Association (AWWA) are seeking the public’s input for the development of the Manual of Recommended Practices for the Safe Closure and Reopening of Building Water Systems . On July 29, 2020, IAPMO and AWWA entered into a cooperative development agreement (CDA) to produce a manual of recommended practices to support safe and effective water efficiency and water quality provisions for the built environment.
The manual covers risk management practices for all potable and non-potable water supply systems, water-supplied mechanical systems (cooling towers), wet fire suppression systems, and decorative water feature systems post-construction, during normal operation, when closing, during interruption to normal operation (system shutdown), and reopening all building occupancy types except for single- and two-family residential buildings. It is intended to provide expert guidance on building water system safety and provides sound and effective risk management practices for preparing water systems when buildings must be shut down or put into low use modes, “exercising” building water systems during periods of no or low use and evaluating and preparing water systems for reopening.
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IAPMO Seeks Technical Subcommittee Members for Development of National Standard IAPMO Z1095 |
IAPMO is seeking volunteers, with technical background in plumbing systems and specific knowledge of plumbing pipe support hangers and hooks — such as jurisdictional authorities, testing lab and educational facility representatives, as well as manufacturing experts — to participate on the IAPMO Z1095 Technical Subcommittee (TSC). The scope of IAPMO Z1095 covers pipe support hangers and hooks intended for use in plumbing supply and drain waste vent systems.
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2021 UPC/UMC and 2018 NSPC-New Jersey Edition Available in the IAPMO Codes Mobile App |
IAPMO added three codes to the IAPMO Codes mobile app — the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC), 2021 Uniform Mechanical Code (UMC) and 2018 National Standard Plumbing Code (NSPC)-New Jersey are now available for download — giving users constant access to their purchased code books on their mobile devices even when they are offline.
Users are able to make annotations and recordings, view the current code development timeline and to stay informed by receiving automatic notifications for breaking news, upcoming committee meetings, proposal submission deadlines, and much more.
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Cintas Officially Opens Nominations for 2022 America’s Best Restroom® Nationwide Contest
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“Nearly three-quarters of Americans (74%) say dirty restrooms would cause them to have a negative perception of a business,” said Sean Mulcahey, Marketing Manager, Cintas. “Facility cleanliness can impact the perception of a business. This annual contest highlights facilities that are making safety, cleanliness and hygiene a priority to provide a positive experience for their customers.”
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IAPMO Forming Hydrogen Fuel Gas Piping Task Group |
IAPMO is gathering a group of technical experts to participate on a Hydrogen Fuel Gas Piping Task Group.
The task group’s goal is to create a Hydrogen Fuel Gas Piping Appendix for proposed addition to the 2027 edition of IAPMO’s Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC®). This is in line with IAPMO’s effort to continue developing the UPC as the most technical, flexible, and customizable plumbing code available to jurisdictions in the United States.
“The world has committed to reducing its carbon footprint. To ensure we achieve this goal, we must reduce our dependency on fossil fuels,” IAPMO CEO Dave Viola said. “The utilization of hydrogen as an energy source will be a major part of achieving our goal. IAPMO is leading the way. We have established a hydrogen task force to ensure the installation of hydrogen piping and appliances is safe and our practitioners are trained and well informed around the world.”
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National Standard Plumbing Code Public Hearing Set for Aug. 11 |
IAPMO encourages all members and industry representatives to review the proposed code changes for the 2024 National Standard Plumbing Code (NSPC) and attend the NSPC public hearing, Aug. 11, in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The NSPC Committee accepted proposals for changes to the 2024 NSPC from July 1, 2021, through April 1, 2022. Changes approved at the August hearing will appear in the 2024 NSPC. The NSPC Committee reviews the code annually and updates it on a three-year cycle.
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Biden Administration Proposes New, Cost-Saving Energy Efficiency Standards for Commercial Water Heaters |
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has proposed new energy-conservation standards for commercial water heating equipment, including gas storage, instantaneous water heaters, and gas hot water supply boilers. The proposed standards would require commercial water heaters to incorporate condensing technology, which significantly reduces energy consumption by extracting additional heat from the combustion process. Energy efficiency is a key component of President Biden’s plan to reduce climate pollution while delivering savings.
“Water heating accounts for a considerable share of energy costs and domestic carbon emissions,” said Kelly Speakes-Backman, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. “Modernizing commercial water heater technology will slash energy costs for schools, hospitals, and small businesses while removing carbon and methane from our atmosphere.”
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EPA Seeks Input from Small Businesses, Towns, and Organizations on Forthcoming Lead and Copper Rule Improvements Proposal |
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is inviting small businesses, governments, and not-for-profit organizations to participate as Small Entity Representatives for a Small Business Advocacy Review Panel related to the development of the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI). This rule will be essential to strengthening the regulatory framework to protect communities from lead in drinking water.
“We are excited to invite small entities to participate in the process of developing the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements. Input from these groups will help us develop a strong and durable approach,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox. “EPA is committed to using every tool available to protect all Americans from lead in drinking water.”
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EPA WIFIA Annual Report Celebrates over $5 Billion in Water Infrastructure Loans |
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in March released the 2021 Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) Annual Report. The report highlights the program’s 2021 investments in water infrastructure to protect public health and the environment, create good-paying jobs, and save communities money over alternative financing options.
“The WIFIA program has been an incredible success, providing more than $5 billion in water infrastructure funding in 2021 to save communities $1.5 billion while creating nearly 40,000 jobs,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “The WIFIA program, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the agency’s other water infrastructure funding programs are building a better America by securing clean and safe water for all.”
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IAPMO USHGC, USPSHTC Code Change Monographs Now Available |
IAPMO has made the 2022 Uniform Solar, Hydronics and Geothermal Code (USHGC®) and Uniform Swimming Pool, Spa and Hot Tub Code (USPSHTC®) Technical Committee Meeting Monographs available for download.
All individuals anticipating an active role in the ANSI-accredited consensus development of the Uniform Codes at the technical committee meetings, June 20-21, in Ontario, California, will want to download these documents in Adobe PDF format from the following URLs:
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2022 USPSHTC/USHGC Technical Committee Meetings
June 20 - 21, 2022
Ontario, CA 91761
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2022 We•Stand Technical Committee Meetings
June 22 - 23, 2022
Ontario, CA 91761
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IAPMO 93rd Annual Education and Business Conference
September 11-15, 2022
Charlotte, NC
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Upcoming Training | Earn your Continuing Education with IAPMO training. |
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IAPMO is an approved provider for Continuing Education by USGBC, IACET, AIA and many local organizations and jurisdictions. Contact the IAPMO Training staff to register at 1-877-427-6601, or go to our website https://iapmolearn.org/ to register online. New training dates are added periodically!
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