Ontario, Calif. — The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO®) and the American Water Works Association (AWWA) are seeking the public’s input for the development of the Manual of Recommended Practices for the Safe Closure and Reopening of Building Water Systems. On July 29, 2020, IAPMO and AWWA entered into a cooperative development agreement (CDA) to produce a manual of recommended practices to support safe and effective water efficiency and water quality provisions for the built environment.
The manual covers risk management practices for all potable and non-potable water supply systems, water-supplied mechanical systems (cooling towers), wet fire suppression systems, and decorative water feature systems post-construction, during normal operation, when closing, during interruption to normal operation (system shutdown), and reopening all building occupancy types except for single- and two-family residential buildings. It is intended to provide expert guidance on building water system safety and provides sound and effective risk management practices for preparing water systems when buildings must be shut down or put into low use modes, “exercising” building water systems during periods of no or low use and evaluating and preparing water systems for reopening.
Since the announcement of the CDA, IAPMO, AWWA and industry experts put together the most comprehensive provisions for the safe operation and opening of potable water and non-potable water systems and cooling towers.
IAPMO and AWWA encourage the industry to provide its comments to the latest draft, which can be obtained HERE.
Please provide your comments to standards@iapmostandards.org by no later than July 15.
“As the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be countless studies that will consider where proactive efforts could have reduced the health-, safety- and economic-related impacts that resulted,” said Christoph Lohr, IAPMO vice president of Strategic Initiatives. “The pandemic also pushed the plumbing and water-related industries to rethink some common practices. In the manual’s case this meant evaluating construction practices. Indeed, society has learned a great deal and we will be better prepared for the next time we need to respond to a similar threat on a global or regional scale, but only if we take the time to capture the recommended practices that are identified and put them into practice.”
For questions, please contact Lohr at (909) 731-0219 or christoph.lohr@iapmo.org; or Hugo Aguilar at (909) 472-4111 or hugo.aguilar@iapmo.org.
IAPMO®, developer of the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC®) and Uniform Mechanical Code (UMC®), has posted online the timeline for the development of the 2030 editions of these prospective American National Standards.
IAPMO® is seeking volunteers to participate on two technical committees working toward the development of the 2030 editions of the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC®) and Uniform Mechanical Code (UMC®). The deadline to submit an application is Jan. 30, 2026.
ARCSA International will host a new Technical Symposium May 20–21, 2026, at Grundfos Headquarters in Brookshire, Texas. This two-day event will feature advanced training, industry updates, technology displays, and networking opportunities, with full program details coming later this year.