The IAPMO Executive Committee has appointed Hugo Aguilar to represent ASA on the Water Efficiency and Sanitation Standard (WE·Stand) Technical Committee.

The purpose of the WE·Stand is to provide minimum requirements to optimize water use practices attributed to the built environment while maintaining protection of the public health, safety and welfare. The need for this standard is in recognition that with increasing demand, constrained infrastructure and supplies, climate change, and pervasive droughts globally, there is a critical need to reduce water consumption attributed to the built environment through conservation and reuse. With this come increased risks to public health, safety, and building systems performance. This American National Standard would provide minimum requirements that optimize built environment water use practices and corresponding provisions that maintain protection to public health, safety, and welfare.

In 2007, IAPMO's Board of Directors kickstarted the concept of developing codified water efficiency provisions that would result in a 20 percent reduction in water use from the minimum code requirements contained in the Uniform Plumbing Code. From those efforts, the Green Technical Committee was formed and the 2010 GPMCS developed and published, a first of its kind document to seamlessly mesh with existing codes where Authorities Having Jurisdiction preferred more stringent efficiency provisions.

The WE·Stand will use the plumbing provisions within IAPMO’s 2015 Green Plumbing and Mechanical Code Supplement as its basis to develop the 2017 edition of the WE·Stand. IAPMO intends to publish the WE·Stand in December 2017 and will replace the GPMCS.

The 2017 WE·Stand will be developed using the ANSI consensus process which ensures conformance to ANSI’s strict list of essential requirements.

The WE·Stand development process is currently in the comment stage and the deadline to submit public comments to the 2016 Report on Proposals is Nov. 28. ASA will be engaged in approving or opposing language to the 2017 edition of the WE·Stand. Public comments to the 2016 Report on Proposals can be submitted this link.

ASA is proud to contribute in the development of a standard that will not only voice the opinion of distributors and suppliers, but also protect the public’s health and welfare. Please contact Hugo Aguilar, P.E. at haguilar@asa.net for any questions pertaining to the WE·Stand appointment.