Water Reuse Working Group: Preparing Our Buildings and Communities for Water Reuse in the 21st Century
Sunday, Sep. 11, 2 – 4 pm
Given an increasingly limited water supply, and with more jurisdictions adopting ONWS as a result, comprehensive water quality requirements for reuse are necessary. Greater uniformity protects public health and facilitates the consistency necessary for advances in reuse products, reduction in cost, and increased availability of reuse solutions.
The Code Council is establishing a Water Reuse Working Group of code development leaders and reuse experts to, in partnership with the National Blue Ribbon Commission (NBRC), explore opportunities to protect public health and to better support state, local, tribal, and territorial governments seeking to advance water reuse opportunities through integration of best practices into the I-Codes that govern water quality and additional reuse issues.
Potable water from a public drinking water treatment plant is required to meet Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) standards. But no national regulations exist for onsite non-potable water systems (ONWS) for reuse treatment, storage, and delivery. A handful of jurisdictions have adopted requirements, but they are varied.
The I-Codes (including the IPC, IRC, IgCC, and CSA B805/ICC 805) address construction, installation, alteration, and repair of on-site non-potable water reuse systems, non-potable rainwater collection and distribution systems, and reclaimed water systems. Generally speaking, these codes and standards address delivery, and to an extent, the quality of potable and non-potable water. But none of these codes and standards address pathogen and chemical contaminants.
The National Blue Ribbon Commission for Onsite Non-potable Water Systems (NBRC) was established in 2016 to craft model policy and develop resources for the safe, practical, and sustainable implementation of onsite non-potable water systems. It is composed of leaders from all levels of government across the United States.
Scope
This diverse working group will research all aspects of onsite water reuse, develop a roadmap, and propose needed resources, including recommended updates to the International Codes (I-Codes) – that are necessary to meet jurisdictions’ water reuse goals. The Code Council will entrust the working group to complete the following actions:
- A comprehensive review of current I-Code requirements as they relate to onsite water reuse.
- A comprehensive review of existing adopted codes, guides, executive orders, white papers, reports, and standards, as they relate to design standards, preparedness, water quality, health considerations, and tools for installing and maintaining onsite water reuse systems.
- Develop a report with recommendations concerning potential code change proposals to include the most recent technologies, design standards, water quality, health considerations, and minimum requirements for on-site water reuse systems.
- Develop model code proposals to based on the report and above objectives.
The working group will include a broad range of experts from the building safety, construction, design, health, regulatory, and insurance industries.
Please join ICC and industry Stakeholders on Sunday September 11, 2022, for this inaugural meeting taking place in a hybrid platform to find out more about the Water Reuse Working Group. Join us in person at the Kentucky International Convention Center, 221 S 4th St Louisville, KY 40202, room L007/008 or virtually.
For virtual and in-person attendance please register using the link below.