Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced yesterday that it will not make updates or changes to the WaterSense program specifications, another successful step in IAPMO and its partners’ mission to ensure the program’s long-term viability. The announcement followed a review as directed by “America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018,” which includes strong Read more
IAPMO
Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced yesterday that it will not make updates or changes to the WaterSense program specifications, another successful step in IAPMO and its partners’ mission to ensure the program’s long-term viability.
The announcement followed a review as directed by “America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018,” which includes strong language officially authorizing the program in perpetuity. The law required the EPA to “consider for review and revise, if necessary, any WaterSense performance criteria adopted before Jan. 1, 2012.”
“By maintaining the existing WaterSense specifications, EPA is ensuring responsible conservation of our nation’s water supply without adding unnecessary specifications or creating undue burdens on the economy,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler.
The EPA also announced it will engage with WaterSense stakeholders and the public to ensure that WaterSense products continue to help protect the nation’s water supplies while saving consumers money and performing as well as or better than regular models.
“The industry realizes the importance of the WaterSense program,” said Dain Hansen, IAPMO’s Executive Vice President of Government Relations. “The program has garnered support from manufacturers, environmental advocates, SDOs, associations and professional societies across the country. To know that the program will continue is welcome news and we, along with the industry, will continue to be strong supporting partners of the WaterSense program and the entire EPA.”
A true public-private partnership, WaterSense is a voluntary product efficiency labeling program that identifies efficient and high-performing water-consuming products. While EPA spends approximately $3 million a year to administer the program, it has saved consumers more than $33 billion in water and energy bills since the program’s inception in 2006. The program is widely supported across the building industry and has enjoyed bipartisan support on Capitol Hill throughout its existence. This support is not only due to the program’s successful outcomes, but also because of the quality and integrity of the products bearing the WaterSense label, which are the result of federal government oversight and third-party certification.
Modeled after the ENERGY STAR program, WaterSense seeks to protect the future of the U.S. water supply by offering consumers a simple way to make product-purchasing choices that conserve water with no sacrifice to quality or performance. Services and products earning the WaterSense label have been certified as more efficient while performing just as well as average products in the same category. Such products include toilets, urinals, showerheads, bathroom faucets, landscape irrigation controllers and pre-rinse spray valves.
IAPMO R&T is a leading provider of WaterSense product certification in the nation and has been a U.S. EPA licensed provider, accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), since 2007, certifying the first high-efficiency toilet (HET) to the standard in April of that year. To date, IAPMO R&T, part of The IAPMO Group, has certified thousands of such water-efficient products to the WaterSense specifications.
For more information about the WaterSense program, visit https://www.epa.gov/watersense.
Ontario, Calif. — In order to help plumbing and mechanical professionals perform their essential duty — protecting the public’s health and safety — without incurring unnecessary financial hardship, the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) has made some critical standards available free of charge. “Because we know the challenges many in our industry Read more
Ontario, Calif. — In order to help plumbing and mechanical professionals perform their essential duty — protecting the public’s health and safety — without incurring unnecessary financial hardship, the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) has made some critical standards available free of charge.
“Because we know the challenges many in our industry now face include financial uncertainty, IAPMO is temporarily providing free remote access to the standards most vital in dealing with such viral threats as COVID-19,” said IAPMO CEO GP Russ Chaney. “IAPMO understands we are all working together to combat COVID-19; access to codes and standards should not represent a roadblock in that battle.”
The standards and codes available support the services essential to responding to COVID-19 and include performance and installation requirements for plumbing and mechanical systems. By granting free access, IAPMO hopes to enhance public understanding of how the proper functioning of these systems protects the health of the people they serve.
They are available at: https://www.iapmo.org/code-standard-development/covid-19-resources
Available standards and codes include:
- ASSE 1044, Trap Seal Primer-Drainage Types and Electric Design Types
- ASSE 1072, Barrier Type Floor Drain Trap Seal Protection Devices
- ASSE 6000, Infection Control Risk Assessment for All Building Systems
- ASSE 12000, Infection Control Risk Assessment for All Building Systems
- ASSE 13000, Service Plumber and Residential Mechanical Services Technician
- ASSE 15000, Inspection, Testing and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems
- ASSE 16000, Inspector and Plans Examiner
- IGC 127, Combined Hand-Washing Systems
- IGC 156, Wash Fountains and Lavatory Systems with or without Water Closets
- IGC 278, Concealed Type Waterless Urinals
- IGC 289, Portable Sealed Personal Showering Systems
- IGC 305, ABS and PVC Horizontal Backwater Valves with Lifting Devices
- IGC 316, Self-Cleaning Water Closets
- IGC 361, Flexible Corrugated Drain Connectors for Lavatories and Sinks
- Uniform Plumbing Code
- Uniform Mechanical Code
- Uniform Swimming Pool, Spa and Hot Tub Code
The White House and the Department of Homeland Security identified plumbing industry professionals as indispensable in their Guidance on the Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce: Ensuring Community and National Resilience in COVID-19 Response. IAPMO published a guidance for plumbing professionals working under the threat of COVID-19 authored by Peter DeMarco, Executive Vice President of Advocacy and Research for The IAPMO Group: https://www.iapmo.org/media/23453/coronavirus_guidance_for_plumbers.pdf
For more information on IAPMO and its proactive initiatives in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, direct your web browser to https://www.iapmo.org/ibu/whats-new/coronavirus-resources.
Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has updated its “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce” advisory list to more accurately define the plumbing and mechanical industry, a list that now includes language for which IAPMO advocated. ”Workers who support the supply chain of building materials from production through Read more
Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has updated its “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce” advisory list to more accurately define the plumbing and mechanical industry, a list that now includes language for which IAPMO advocated.
”Workers who support the supply chain of building materials from production through application/installation, including cabinetry, fixtures, doors, cement, hardware, plumbing, electrical, heating/cooling, refrigeration, appliances, paint/coatings, and employees who provide services that enable repair materials and equipment for essential functions” have been added to the list, which may be read at: https://www.iapmo.org/media/23610/dhs_critical_workforce_20.pdf.
Workers such as builders, contractors, HVAC technicians and landscapers were added to the Public Works sector heading, which was changed to “Public Works and Infrastructure Support Services,” and the list has been expanded to include “… workers at distribution facilities, workers who transport basic raw chemical materials to the producers of industrial and consumer goods, including hand sanitizers, food and food additives, pharmaceuticals, paintings and coatings, textiles, building materials, plumbing, electrical, and paper products.”
IAPMO recently published a guidance for plumbing professionals working under the threat of COVID-19 authored by Peter DeMarco, Executive Vice President of Advocacy and Research for The IAPMO Group. That white paper may be viewed at https://www.iapmo.org/media/23453/coronavirus_guidance_for_plumbers.pdf.
“This is big news not only for IAPMO, but the entire plumbing and mechanical industry,” IAPMO CEO GP Russ Chaney said. “By explicitly citing the entire supply chain for plumbing products as essential, the federal government has clarified how important each facet of the industry is, from manufacturer to distributor to plumber.”
Washington, D.C. — The President and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have issued a Coronavirus Guidance for America identifying plumbers and other tradespeople as “essential critical infrastructure workers” as our nation responds to the threat of COVID-19. In a DHS memorandum issued by Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) Director Christopher C. Krebs, CISA announced Read more
Washington, D.C. — The President and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have issued a Coronavirus Guidance for America identifying plumbers and other tradespeople as “essential critical infrastructure workers” as our nation responds to the threat of COVID-19.
In a DHS memorandum issued by Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) Director Christopher C. Krebs, CISA announced development of an initial list of Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers “to help state and local officials as they work to protect their communities, while ensuring continuity of functions critical to public health and safety, as well as economic and national security.”
The list identifies those professions deemed essential to continued critical infrastructure viability and advises such workers to continue normal operations, appropriately modified to account for Centers for Disease Control (CDC) workforce and customer protection guidance.
“Workers such as plumbers, electricians, exterminators, and other service providers who provide services that are necessary to maintaining the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences,” are specifically recognized on the list, which may be viewed here:
https://www.iapmo.org/media/23516/dhs_essential_workers.pdf
IAPMO recently published a guidance for plumbing professionals working under the threat of COVID-19 authored by Peter DeMarco, Executive Vice President of Advocacy and Research for The IAPMO Group. That white paper may be viewed here:
https://www.iapmo.org/media/23453/coronavirus_guidance_for_plumbers.pdf
“Our industry has known for many decades that its contribution to society is essential to global health,” said IAPMO CEO GP Russ Chaney. “This new guidance, to state and local officials from the White House, validates that our industry is vital to the United States. Our highly skilled plumbers have been deemed essential to the nation’s ability to function and recognized as people on whom we can all depend in normal times or a global crisis.”
For more information on IAPMO and its proactive initiatives in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, direct your web browser to www.iapmo.org.
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.