San Antonio — The seventh Emerging Water Technology Symposium returned as an in-person event for the first time in four years, bringing together industry, manufacturing, water utility and government leaders from around the world. A focus of this year’s event was on resources communities require to build safe and resilient plumbing systems as well as Read more
ASPE
San Antonio — The seventh Emerging Water Technology Symposium returned as an in-person event for the first time in four years, bringing together industry, manufacturing, water utility and government leaders from around the world. A focus of this year’s event was on resources communities require to build safe and resilient plumbing systems as well as meet the growing list of challenges to America’s drinking water.
The esteemed panel on Effective Risk Management of Building Water Systems for Pathogen Control included (from l to r) Julius Ballanco, president, JB Engineering; Kurt Steenhoek, International Representative, UA; Janet Stout, Executive VP and Founder, Special Pathogen Laboratory; James Dipping, Director of Plumbing Engineering, Environmental Systems Design, Inc.; Christoph Lohr, VP of Strategic Initiatives, IAPMO; and Matt Freije, CEO, HC Info.
The May 10-11 event at the Westin Riverwalk, San Antonio was co-convened by the Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE), the American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE), the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) and Plumbing Manufacturers International (PMI).
Pete DeMarco
“As an industry we have a number of high priority research needs that relate to water quality as well as water and energy efficiency,” IAPMO Executive Vice President of Advocacy and Research Pete DeMarco explained in discussing the importance of the symposium. “This year’s event brought together some of the brightest minds industry has to offer all focused on how we make our plumbing and mechanical systems safer and more resilient to meet the challenges ahead.”
In his opening remarks, DeMarco pointed to a number of accomplishments for which the EWTS has served as a springboard, including the development of the Green Plumbing and Mechanical Code Supplement (now the Water Efficiency and Sanitation Standard WE•Stand); ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 188-2018, Legionellosis: Risk Management for Building Water Systems; ASSE 12000 series on infection control and water quality, which is in IAPMO’s Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC®); and IAPMO’s Water Demand Calculator, whose second version was released in 2020.
“This symposium provides a much-needed platform for stakeholders across the industry to gather, discuss the latest research, and then discuss how we can take action,” he said. “It is a highly valuable event, and I look forward to seeing it continue to grow in the future.”
Kerry Stackpole
PMI CEO Kerry Stackpole spoke at the event and said the relationships between the organizations represented at EWTS had likely never been more important than they are now. He said that while the best and brightest among us devised medical solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic, the plumbing industry also played an important role.
“What’s also important is how our industry responded,” he said. “Our industry’s experience and our focus became touchless faucets, antimicrobial surfaces, water purification systems, all kinds of energy-efficient devices focused on safe and responsible plumbing. We all had a contribution to make and I think our industry stepped up.”
Stackpole said wildfires, flooding and drought that different regions of the United States are experiencing put those in the industry in a position to shape the future.
“Your active engagement here, in your communities back home, and in the marketplace of ideas, where we will have opportunities to share ideas with one another, will make all the difference,” he said. “You actually are able to turn the dial on this, and I think that’s really exciting.”
A day 2 panel saw (from l to r) Ed Osann, Senior Water Policy Analyst, NRDC; Dain Hansen, Executive Vice President, Government Relations, IAPMO; and Stephanie Salmon, Washington Representative, PMI, talk about the implications of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act on Drinking Water and Wastewater.
This year’s keynote speakers were Robert Puente, president and CEO of the San Antonio Water System (SAWS), and Don Johnston, senior operations director, Indonesia, for Water.org.
Puente’s presentation looked at three ways in which SAWS, which serves 2 million customers over four counties, uses innovation to deliver water to its customers: advanced metering deployment, “smart” manhole covers, and conservation.
“It’s all about innovation,” he said. “And I think if you talk to our employees, although they will tell you that it’s their idea, we know that they got their idea from coming to events like this. Every good idea, you should expect it to be stolen, to be used by someone else, and you should be flattered by that. I think anything that you look at here started somewhere else, and we went to conferences in other cities and were able to bring back the ideas to SAWS to really get the innovation aspect in this.”
In delivering his keynote address remotely from Jakarta, Indonesia, Johnston spoke about the global water and sanitation crisis’s impact on low-income households — one in nine people lack access to safe water, one in three do not have access to a toilet — and some potential solutions. Working with financial institutions and water utilities, as well as sister company WaterEquity, Water.org helps bring affordable financing to people in need of water.
The Hub’s John Mesenbrink asks the hard-hitting questions during the symposium.
“In about 19 years of work on the ground, we’ve seen water and sanitation access reach more than 45 million people through more 10 million microloans disbursed to households with capital of $3.7 billion mobilized,” he said.
In his presentation, Phillip White, manager of plumbing and mechanical inspections for the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, shared how his city addressed the problem of insufficient sewer capacity when it came to capturing large amounts of rainfall through water reuse technologies. One development, the Oakridge Centre, utilized the IAPMO Water Demand Calculator and is expected to have the largest non-potable water system in North America.
Janet Stout
Another speaker, Special Pathogens Laboratory Executive Vice President/Founder Dr. Janet Stout, looked at approaches and products for mitigating the risk of Legionellosis in point-of-use and point-of-entry building water systems. Improved water management requires knowledgeable Legionella prevention and water service providers, which can come from certification to ASSE/IAPMO/ANSI 12080 for Legionella Water Safety and Management Personnel.
IAPMO will provide sessions from the EWTS on-demand in the near future. To be notified when they are available, register at www.ewts.org/2022-ewts.
Watts will host a customer webinar, Irrigation Backflow Prevention: Specification & Compliance, on Thursday, April 8, at 11:00 am ET. Design is the foundation of a successful irrigation system. During this webinar, our industry subject matter expert will discuss: How to help maintain compliance and make service easier for irrigation flow control solutions The basics Read more
Watts will host a customer webinar, Irrigation Backflow Prevention: Specification & Compliance, on Thursday, April 8, at 11:00 am ET.
Design is the foundation of a successful irrigation system. During this webinar, our industry subject matter expert will discuss:
- How to help maintain compliance and make service easier for irrigation flow control solutions
- The basics of navigating compliance, specification, and design for irrigation backflow prevention
By attending the entire webinar, attendees can receive 0.1 Continuing Education Unit (CEU) through the American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE). To register for this webinar, visit: https://bit.ly/3fk1q71.
The American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE) and the Plastics Pipe Institute, Inc. (PPI) today announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will advance the benefits that both organizations provide to the plumbing industry. David Fink, President of PPI, and Billy Smith, FASPE, Executive Director/CEO of ASPE, made the joint announcement virtually from their respective Read more
The American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE) and the Plastics Pipe Institute, Inc. (PPI) today announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will advance the benefits that both organizations provide to the plumbing industry. David Fink, President of PPI, and Billy Smith, FASPE, Executive Director/CEO of ASPE, made the joint announcement virtually from their respective headquarters. ASPE is the international organization for professionals skilled in the design, specification, and inspection of plumbing systems. PPI is the leading North American trade association representing all segments of the plastic pipe industry.
“For the past 70 years, PPI and our members have embarked on research projects that have led to the creation of many manuals and standards, and influenced codes,” Fink stated. “We have always sought ways to work with other like-minded groups to amplify the benefits to the industry. Our work with ASPE has been highly rewarding, and we are looking forward to doing even more. For example, we will explore how to best educate legislators on issues important to the members of each organization, plus promote mutually beneficial positions during the development and passage of state and federal legislation.”
One of the key components of the MOU is advocacy. Where mutually beneficial, and to the extent allowed by laws and corporate policies, ASPE and PPI will work together on common public affairs goals and ideologies.
Billy Smith stated, “Being the international organization for professionals skilled in the design, specification, and inspection of plumbing systems, ASPE is dedicated to the advancement of the science of plumbing engineering, to the professional growth and advancement of our members, and to the health, welfare, and safety of the public. Having the opportunity to continue our core goals by collaborating with industry partners through advocacy for the benefit of all is a valuable asset.”
“PPI has enjoyed a close relationship with ASPE for a number of years,” stated Lance MacNevin, P. Eng., Director of Engineering for PPI’s Building & Construction Division (BCD). “ASPE’s scope of work related to plumbing and fire protection systems is very much in line with PPI BCD’s scope of work. Since becoming a professional member of ASPE in 2015, I have benefitted from the resources made available to their members and participated in the ASPE Main Design Standards and Legislative Committees. Also, PPI has been registered with ASPE as a continuing education CEU Provider since 2016. This has helped PPI to connect with plumbing engineers through ASPE conferences and Chapter meetings. I encourage more PPI members to join ASPE.”
Part of PPI’s mission is to educate the plumbing industry about correct applications for plastic pressure piping systems using CPVC, HDPE, PEX, PE-RT, PP-R, and PP-RCT. “It is important that plumbing engineers have access to accurate information about these pipe materials. There are ideal applications for each of these materials when utilized correctly,” MacNevin said. “The MOU with ASPE will help to accelerate our goal to deliver accurate and thorough information about these systems, so that the best pipe material can be selected for an application.”
Other areas addressed in the MOU include education, technical activities, and research.
“This Memorandum is certainly very exciting,” MacNevin continued. “It clearly defines our goals, outlines the initiatives, and sums up the strong support structure of why and how we have forged this agreement. The collaborative work of ASPE and PPI members, based on their years of experience and knowledge, is intended to benefit the plumbing community and the health, safety, and welfare of the public.”
“The wealth of knowledge contained in both of our organizations is second to none, so we are looking forward to expanding our relationship with PPI to help increase the technical knowledge of the industry,” Smith said.
Additional information can be found at plasticpipe.org/building-construction or at aspe.org.
Biennially, ASPE presents the prestigious Industry Award to companies that have provided outstanding service to the advancement of plumbing engineering technology. This year, ASPE is pleased to present Industry Awards to McWane Inc. and QuantumFlo. “The support that both companies have given in time, education, and resources to this Society in recent years has been exceptional,” Read more
Biennially, ASPE presents the prestigious Industry Award to companies that have provided outstanding service to the advancement of plumbing engineering technology. This year, ASPE is pleased to present Industry Awards to McWane Inc. and QuantumFlo.
“The support that both companies have given in time, education, and resources to this Society in recent years has been exceptional,” says Thomas P. Sharp, ASPE’s Vice President, Affiliate. “Although it is always tough for ASPE to narrow down the award selection process to only two companies, both are very deserving of this honor in every criteria.”
The McWane Plumbing Group is part of the McWane, Inc. group of companies. The Plumbing Group manufactures cast iron soil pipe and fittings, no-hub couplings, and drains. Headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, McWane is a global manufacturer of ductile iron products and is one of the world’s most important suppliers of waterworks and monitoring products.
“We are honored to receive the Industry Award from ASPE, and we look forward to future opportunities where we can serve the engineering community,” says Francesca Dunbar, Vice President of Marketing for the McWane Plumbing Group. “We are always looking for opportunities where we can support ASPE’s efforts, from sponsorships to the development of continuing education content.”
Founded in 2007, QuantumFlo is a world leader in pumping and pump control system technologies and an innovator of sizing and selection applications and rules for variable-speed pumping. The company’s packaged plumbing booster systems are custom-built to customer specifications and include integrated control technology to ensure efficiency.
“QuantumFlo is delighted and honored to be selected as a 2020 recipient of the ASPE Industry Award,” says David Carrier, Founder & CEO of QuantumFlo. “On behalf of our QuantumFlo representatives, specifiers, and employees, we would like to thank ASPE for this special recognition and ongoing support of our efforts to propel the plumbing industry through technology innovation. We are pleased to serve ASPE member engineers and work hand-in-hand with them to collectively address and solve challenges with highly intelligent solutions.”
Both McWane and QuantumFlo are ASPE Affiliate Sponsors and ASPE CEU Providers in addition to being long-time supporters of ASPE conferences and local ASPE Chapter events.
“I am very pleased and proud that two excellent Affiliate Sponsors of ASPE received the ASPE 2020 Industry Award,” Sharp continued. “McWane and QuantumFlo have both invested so much in the advancement of the plumbing engineering profession in addition to being excellent stewards of ASPE as valuable and engaged Affiliates. On behalf of all of ASPE’s valuable Affiliate partners, I extend warm congratulations and deepest thanks to both McWane and QuantumFlo.”
San Antonio, Texas — The co-conveners of the 2020 Emerging Water Technology Symposium (EWTS), which was scheduled for May 12-13 in San Antonio, have postponed the event and tentatively rescheduled for next year, May 11-12, 2021. “This change was necessitated after thoughtful consideration of the growing concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said IAPMO’s Peter DeMarco Read more
San Antonio, Texas — The co-conveners of the 2020 Emerging Water Technology Symposium (EWTS), which was scheduled for May 12-13 in San Antonio, have postponed the event and tentatively rescheduled for next year, May 11-12, 2021.
“This change was necessitated after thoughtful consideration of the growing concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said IAPMO’s Peter DeMarco, the event’s lead technical organizer. “The health and safety of our attendees, presenters and staff is, of course, our highest priority.”
The decision to postpone the symposium for a full year was made in consideration of other co-convener sponsored technical events that remain scheduled in 2020. Organizers recognize this change may not work for all attendees, sponsors, exhibitors and speakers. Accordingly, all registrations will be fully refunded and all hotel reservations that were made under the EWTS room block will be automatically canceled. Registrants should receive a cancellation notification from the hotel.
Organizers will be reaching out to sponsors, exhibitors and speakers in the days ahead and will work closely with all parties to help determine their plans for the rescheduled EWTS.
“The postponement is especially disappointing to the organizing technical committee when considering the amazing program that was on tap,” DeMarco said. “Our registration numbers were by far the highest ever and the event was well on the way to selling out. We will work hard to generate the same level of excitement for the 2021 EWTS.”
Co-convened biennially by the American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE), the Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE), the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), and Plumbing Manufacturers International (PMI), in cooperation with the World Plumbing Council (WPC), EWTS is designed to provide a portal for the host organizations’ partners in the manufacturing, engineering and trade industries to display and demonstrate their innovative solutions to legislative and regulatory developments that often alter industry landscapes.