On Tuesday, October 18, 2022, the International Code Council hosted a conference titled “ICC Water: Standards for a Resilient Future” for the purpose of discussing water policy and technical issues. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the signing into law of the Clean Water Act, professionals working in the water business and water specialists held conversations to promote the most effective methods for water regulations and standards.
According to aspe Keynote speakers and panelists included Rabia Chaudhry, National Water Reuse Expert at the United States Environmental Protection Agency; Brenda Mallory, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality; Mitch Landrieu, White House Coordinator for Infrastructure Implementation; Dominic Sims, Chief Executive Officer of the International Code Council; David Yashar, Deputy Chief of the Building Energy and Environment Division of the Engineering Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology; and Dominic Sims.
Staff members from the Code Council, officials from the White House, water experts, and industry professionals met to explore ways to continue to improve water policies, advance clean water technology, and ensure public safety moving forward. Important subjects included finding safe solutions for septic waste in the face of rising sea levels and shifting patterns of flooding; enhancing water efficiency; protecting public health; and promoting sustainability and community resilience through the reuse of water.
Dominic Sims and Brenda Mallory had a conversation in which they discussed the administration’s initiatives concerning decentralized wastewater and water reuse, improving the efficiency of water systems in a holistic manner, and the reasons why the application of consistent and rigorous standards is so important to the goals of the Clean Water Act and its effective implementation. Dominic Sims is a member of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Brenda Mallory is a member of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
According to Mallory, “part of our goal, and what you see in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, are dollars going toward trying to eliminate toxic pollutants, such as getting rid of lead pipes and PFAS in the water.” This is something that can be seen in both of these pieces of legislation. These are efforts being made in the general direction of trying to clean up the waters, with a special emphasis on underprivileged populations as the target audience.
“While it is clear that progress has been made, there is still much still left to do to ensure access to clean water,” said Sims, “as we reflect on the 50 years since the Clean Water Act’s enactment and look to the future, it is clear that while progress has been made, there is still much still left to do to ensure access to clean water.” “It was made abundantly obvious to us that the norms and standards established by the Code Council are essential to improving access to septic systems and ensuring their safe functioning. Over the next half-century, this work is absolutely necessary if we are going to live up to the full promise of the Clean Water Act.
In order to get buildings and communities ready for water reuse in the 21st century, the Code Council, in collaboration with the National Blue Ribbon Commission for Onsite Nonpotable Water Systems, is forming a Water Reuse Working Group. This group’s mission is to prepare buildings and communities for the future. This group of code development leaders and reuse experts will explore opportunities to protect public health and to better support state, local, tribal, and territorial governments seeking to advance water reuse opportunities through the integration of best practices into the International Codes. This will be done by ensuring that the International Codes contain the most up-to-date information on water reuse opportunities (I-Codes).
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