Code Council PMG Group Joins New Water Efficiency Coalition

The International Code Council has joined with a consortium of the best plumbing minds in the U.S. to collaboratively develop solutions for continued worldwide improvement of water efficiency and conservation efforts across the plumbing industry. To advance these goals, a historic Memorandum of Understanding was signed to form the Water Efficiency Research Coalition. The MOU was signed in the offices of U.S. EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson who pledged to partner with four plumbing organizations to coordinate water efficiency research.

Representatives from the International Code Council and four other organizations jointly will develop and implement research programs to further improve water efficiency and sustainable plumbing products, applications and processes

In addition to the Code Council’s Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas (PMG) group, the coalition brings together the Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE), the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors National Association (PHCC) and the Plumbing Manufacturers Institute (PMI).

Coalition members will share technical, scientific, legislative and regulatory information to develop comprehensive research projects. The common goal of all programs will be to improve water efficiency, while always being mindful of public health and safety. Actionable outcomes from these programs will be shared with the entire plumbing industry to ensure water saving measures are properly implemented.

“This coalition ties in seamlessly with global water initiatives the Code Council has been engaged in with several noted international sanitation organizations during the past several years.” said the Code Council’s PMG Group Executive Director Jay Peters. “The timing couldn’t be better given the incoming U.S. President’s Administration’s initiative to upgrade our nation’s transportation infrastructure which naturally includes water mains, water treatment and sewer lines as well as roads.”

The Code Council is leading the way with many sustainable solutions across the entire building industry. In addition to the 2009 International Energy Conservation Codes, which will be available soon, the Council and its members are working to improve water efficiency practices across the building industry. Examples include staying on the leading edge of plumbing manufacturing technologies; specifying water-saving fixtures such as waterless urinals and proper pipe water and drainage sizing wherever possible; and ensuring multiple sustainable plumbing codes are integrated into the 2009 International Plumbing Code.

The collective expertise shared by the founding members of this coalition ensures a highly successful effort to benefit the entire plumbing industry, as well as the public and the planet.

For more information about the Water Efficiency Research Coalition, contact the ICC PMG Resource Center at 1-888-ICC-SAFE (422-7233), x4PMG or pmgresourcecenter@iccsafe.org

The International Code Council, a membership association dedicated to building safety and fire prevention, develops the codes used to construct residential and commercial buildings, including homes and schools. Most U.S. cities, counties and states choose the International Codes, building safety codes developed by the International Code Council.