ICC Adds Sustainability to its Commitment to Safe Drinking Water, Sewage Disposal in Colombia

ICC experts participate in Plumbing Engineers conference in Bogotá

The International Code Council expanded its support of safe drinking water and sewage disposal in the Latin American nation of Colombia to include efforts that will have a positive impact on the environment. The Code Council made presentations at the Association of Professional Water Engineers Conference (IV Conference of the Asociacion de Profesionales de Conduccion de Fluidos, APROCOF) on technical and developmental areas, including sustainable water technologies and systems for the capture of rainwater. The Colombian Plumbing Code is based on the 2009 International Plumbing Code (IPC) and the 2009 International Private Sewage Disposal Code (IPSD).

ICC conference speaker David DeBord, who served on the 2012 International Plumbing Code Technical Committee, is a regional representative of the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA). He is a former American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE) Legislative Vice President and current Board Member, and President of Infinity Consulting.

“As a member of the ASPE Board, I found the opportunity to collaborate with the ICC and plumbing engineers in Colombia to be incredibly valuable and rewarding,” said DeBord. “The plumbing industry in Colombia is extremely interested in implementing sustainable technologies in a way that takes advantage of their many renewable resources, such as solar thermal and rainwater harvesting systems.”

The new Free Trade Agreement signed by the United States and Colombia provides opportunities for the two nations to work together.

“We are excited to see this ICC-APROCOF partnership moving forward for the benefit of our members and industry,” said APROCOF President German Flechas. “Sustainability is of great importance to the future of Colombia, and we look forward to meeting these new challenges and prospects with the kind of new knowledge and information discussed at this conference.”

“The ICC has provided support and worked with APROCOF during the past few years through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to advance and promote the mutual interest of plumbing and sanitation professionals. The recent conference opened the opportunity for additional areas of collaboration. The MOU’s scope expanded to incorporate the adoption and adaptation of new ICC technical documents and certification programs. APROCOF adopted the ICC G3-2011 Global Guideline for Practical Public Toilet Design.

“Adopting the guideline will improve sanitation throughout Colombia,” said Shawn Martin, ICC Director of Industry Relations for its Plumbing, Mechanical & Fuel Gas division. “While ICC provided valuable expertise at the conference, our Colombian partners are very innovative and knowledgeable about the challenges they face. That helped to frame interesting discussions about ways to secure reliable, sustainable sources of safe drinking water; make use of non-potable water like rainwater and gray water; reduce storm water runoff and the resulting pollution; and minimize water use with devices such as the latest efficient plumbing fixtures.”

ICC and APROCOF will develop additional training and other support as Colombia moves to its new plumbing code.

“The APROCOF Conference, organized by engineers and water and sanitation experts, unified knowledge and assisted Colombian professionals in keeping up with new trends and technologies,” said ICC Director of Global Services Sylvana Ricciarini. “Feedback from participants indicated it was a successful conference for all.”

The International Code Council is a member-focused association dedicated to helping the building safety community and construction industry provide safe and sustainable construction through the development of codes and standards used in the design, build and compliance process. Most U.S. communities and many global markets choose the International Codes.