The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) updated its memorandum of understanding (MOU) with The Water Institute at the University of North Carolina in a signing ceremony at the Water Institute’s Water and Health Conference: Where Science Meets Policy in Chapel Hill, N.C.

In addition to continuing to support each organization’s training programs and events, conferences, and symposiums, the MOU calls for IAPMO and the Water Institute to work collaboratively to support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, specifically Targets 6 and 11, as they pertain to delivering safe water and sanitation to homes and buildings in developing areas of need. The two organizations will also work to convene a biennial symposium on the role of emerging technologies toward bringing safe and sustainable water and sanitation to developing areas.

“The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals provide a perfect framework for IAPMO and the Water Institute to collaborate on delivering safer plumbing and sanitation systems and provisions to areas of need, both internationally and domestically,” said IAPMO CEO GP Russ Chaney. “Together with the Water Institute, we also look forward to convening a unique and valuable symposium on how emerging technologies can play a critical role in the deployment of effective and sustainable water and sanitation systems.”

IAPMO and The Water Institute signed the original MOU in 2011, forming an innovation lab called “The Last Mile of Safe Drinking Water Delivery.” That project sought to identify the ways in which water becomes contaminated between the point of treatment and the point of use, and to offer solutions that can help communities around the globe.

“Advancements in safe plumbing and sanitation correlate directly to improved health outcomes,” said Dr. Jamie Bartram, Director of The Water Institute. “By formally committing to continue our work with IAPMO, the Institute gains access to knowledgeable and experienced plumbing practitioners, codes and standards developers, manufacturers, and cross-connection and backflow experts that provide critically needed expertise toward insuring that the water systems installed in developing areas are safe and sustainable. Plumbing needs to be done right the first time and by collaborating with IAPMO we are better able to avoid unintended consequences of water delivery that have the potential to cause harm.”

Chaney added: “We are extremely proud and excited to renew and update our Memorandum of Understanding with The Water Institute. Peter DeMarco, Executive Vice President of Research and Advocacy, and Dr. Stu Asay, one of the world’s foremost experts on plumbing systems and the protection of potable water from contamination sources, will work closely with the Water Institute’s team to advance the programs detailed in the MOU.

The Water Institute also signed a separate MOU with the International Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Foundation (IWSH), IAPMO’s recently introduced charitable foundation.