ASA’s Director of Codes & Standards, Hugo Aguilar, is now a member of the California AB 2282 Steering Committee. Some of the tasks of the committee will be to conduct research in consultation with the State Water Resource Control Board, research potential indoor and outdoor applications for recycled water, consider whether to adopt recommended measures for in the California Plumbing Code, identify key areas of concern, and seek input from stakeholders with subject matter expertise in the design. The committee will strive to seek consensus on all key issues pertaining to the development of a recycle water standard.

The California AB 2282 is an act to add Section 17921.5 and Section 18940.6 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to building standards. Section 17921.5 and Section 18940.6 give the term “recycled water” the same meaning as the term defined in Section 13050(n) of the water code. According to the water code: "Recycled water" means water which, as a result of treatment of waste, is suitable for a direct beneficial use or a controlled use that would not otherwise occur and is therefore considered a valuable resource.”

The bill mandates the development of a mandatory building standard for the installation of recycled water systems for newly constructed single-family buildings, multifamily residential buildings, commercial and public buildings. Furthermore, it requires research to be conducted for potential indoor and outdoor applications for recycled water and to consider whether to adopt or recommend additional measures to the California Plumbing Code in Title 24.

Under AB 2282, mandatory building standards must be developed and submitted to the California Building Standards Commission for consideration during the next code adoption cycle, which begins Jan. 1, 2017. Adoption of mandatory residential and commercial standards would require the building industry to incorporate indoor and outdoor recycled water use in building design.

The mandatory standards will require the installation of recycled water systems within residential buildings and building site landscape areas to certain areas. It is intended to facilitate future use of recycled water in residential, commercial, and public buildings. The mandate to install recycled water piping does not apply to service areas in which the only recycled water use is for potable purposes, or in which net non-potable deliveries are anticipated to remain level or decrease as a result of the potable reuse project.

For more information please contact Hugo Aguilar at haguilar@asa.net.