PRESS RELEASE

    IAPMO and AWWA Seek Public Input on Manual of Recommended Practices for the Safe Closure and Reopening of Building Water Systems

    IAPMO and AWWA Seek Public Input on Manual of Recommended Practices for the Safe Closure and Reopening of Building Water Systems

    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.


    Blueprint for Progress: IAPMO at the ANSI Innovation Summit Demonstrates How Codes and Standards Advance U.S. Competitiveness and Public Health

    21 October 2025

    IAPMO® is proud to be a diamond sponsor and administrating organization at the 2025 ANSI Innovation Summit this week. Formerly World Standards Week, the ANSI Innovation Summit is an annual event that convenes the Institute's members and private- and public-sector stakeholders from across the standards and conformity assessment communities to come together, learn from each other, and showcase their important work. 

    IAPMO Celebrates 10 Years of WorldSkills Global Industry Partnership

    16 October 2025

    IAPMO®, a global team of experts engaging industry and government for a safer built environment, and its charitable foundation, the International Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Foundation (IWSH®), are proud to celebrate 10 years as a WorldSkills Global Industry Partner. IAPMO and IWSH celebrated the milestone this week at the annual General Assembly of WorldSkills International Members in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

    New WPC Africa workgroup promotes regional collaboration and further Global Partnership at WorldSkills Africa 2025

    13 October 2025

    A first-of-its-kind workshop for African World Plumbing Council (WPC) member organizations was held alongside the WorldSkills Africa 2025 capacity-building program for Plumbing, hosted at the Fountain Gate Craft & Trades School in Lusaka, Zambia, from Sept. 1-5. This workshop assembled a team of proactive WPC representatives from Zambia, South Africa, and Rwanda for a first in-person meeting of WPC member organizations on the continent. 

    Scroll to top