Guidance for water utilities on indoor recycled water use released

Plumbing Manufacturers International (PMI) introduced parameters for the use of indoor recycled water.

The guidance was developed for water utilities to ensure that plumbing products function as intended by manufacturers. The water quality limits provide recommended ranges on 13 different parameters of water quality.

“This guidance will help water utilities to produce recycled water that will not hamper the performance of residential and commercial plumbing products that can be used with non-potable water, such as toilets and urinals,” said Kerry Stackpole, PMI’s CEO/executive director, in a news release.

Water districts may use recycled water, also known as reclaimed water or treated wastewater, for uses that do not require potable water, such as irrigation, power plant cooling, or toilet or urinal flushing. There are no federal standards for the use of this water. PMI’s recycled water parameters are not intended as guidance for public health and safety nor for plumbing products used for bathing, cooking, drinking or hygiene purposes (e.g., faucets, showerheads, personal hygiene devices and bidets).

New York City has two very large buildings dedicated to answering the 911 calls of its five boroughs. With more than 11 million emergency calls annually, it makes perfect sense. The second of these buildings, the Public Safety Answering Center II (PSAC II) is located on a nine-acre parcel of land in the Bronx. It’s an imposing 450,000 square-foot structure—a 240-foot-wide by 240-foot-tall cube. The gleaming aluminum cube risesthe equivalent of 24 stories from behind a grassy berm, projecting the unlikely impression that it might actually be floating. Like most visually striking structures, the building has drawn as much scorn as it has admiration.