Code Council’s Commitment to Water Conservation and Combating Global Water Scarcity

In November 2022, Matt Sigler, Executive Director of Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Services (PMG) at the International Code Council, and Mike Boso, Vice President, Code Council Board of Directors, joined a U.S. delegation of more than 40 water leaders on a visit to Israel. The delegation included industry experts, water and wastewater utility managers, state regulators and federal agencies including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the WateReuse Association, who was a co-sponsor of the delegation.

The purpose of the delegation was to foster collaboration between U.S. federal and state regulators, utilities and industry representatives and their Israeli counterparts through direct, field-level engagement with Israel’s water ecosystem.

In addition to visiting historic sites such as the Old City of Jerusalem, the Dead Sea and Masada National Park, the delegation gained valuable insights into Israel’s innovative water conservation strategies. These included the widespread use of treated wastewater for all crops and landscape irrigation, as well as desalination to provide potable water for cooking, drinking, cleaning and bathing purposes in homes, businesses and places of recreation.

Advancing Global Water Reuse

In December 2024, Sigler returned to the Middle East to represent the Code Council at a co-sponsored event between the WateReuse Association and the International Desalination and Reuse Association (IDRA) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The event, The Global Dialogue on Water Reuse, explored four topic areas that are crucial for implementing water reuse projects: communications, financing, governance and treatment technology.

Participants at the event, including the Code Council, shared their knowledge on the drivers, challenges and opportunities to accelerate the adoption of water reuse projects around the world.

“We’re seeing an exponential growth of interest in water recycling projects,” said Patricia Sinicropi, Executive Director of the WateReuse Association. “These projects require a huge amount of expertise to pull off successfully. That’s why we’re excited to forge this partnership initiative with IDRA and with the dozens of thought leaders around the world who contributed their time and expertise to this effort.”

The WateReuse Association and IDRA are now working to synthesize these discussions into a white paper that will summarize key takeaways, best management practices and lessons learned from these experts. This paper will help guide both public and private sector water professionals across the globe as they seek to implement water reuse projects in their respective countries.

Code Council Support for Water Conservation

The Code Council’s interest in both events align with the organization’s continued support and involvement in several water conservation initiatives including World Water Awareness Month, where the Code Council promotes World Water Day (March 22^nd) and hosts events throughout March to educate and highlight the importance of conserving this finite resource.

The Code Council has also developed codes and standards to assist industry and jurisdictions in conserving water including:

• International Green Conservation Code® (IgCC)
• ICC 700 (National Green Building Standard)
• CSA B805/ICC 805 (Rainwater Harvesting Systems)
• International Water Conservation Code Provisions (IWCCP)

The Code Council has two new PMG standards under development that will further conserve water through proper pipe sizing within buildings (ICC 815) and the reuse of wastewater through residential onsite facilities (ICC 825).

As the Code Council looks to the future, the organization will continue to be engaged and provide support to those organizations, such as the WateReuse Association and IDRA, that share the same goal of promoting the benefits of water stewardship and sustainability.

To learn more about the Code Council and the various resources and services regarding water conservation, click here.