DON’T MISS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN ABOUT THE PLUMBING CODES AND BIM AT ASPE’S REGIONAL WORKSHOPS

ASPE is holding back-to-back, one-day workshops on BIM and the International and Uniform Plumbing Codes on May 3–4 in Atlanta, May 24–25 in Chicago, May 26–27 in Dallas, and June 28–29 in the Washington, D.C., area. Registration is open, so click here to sign up now. Multiple workshop and employees discounts are available.

Attention CPDs: The April 30 Renewal Deadline is Fast Approaching

If your CPD expires on April 30, 2010, all paperwork must be sent to ASPE headquarters by then. A total of 2.4 continuing education units (24 professional development hours) are required for CPD recertification. A non refundable fee of $50 for ASPE members or $135 for nonmembers must accompany the CPD recertification application. If you need a copy of the application, click here. In the event you are audited or renew after April 30, 2010, you will be required to substantiate the suitability of a course, seminar, workshop, or in-house training session by providing acceptable documentation. If you have questions, contact Stacey A. Kidd.

The Best Hotel Rate in Downtown Philadelphia Can Be Yours

Go ahead, take a look at the best discount hotel website you can find and see what the price would be for the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown in late October. Remember: ASPE always gets our members unbelievable hotel room rates for our Conventions. We will be releasing the official Convention housing form in mid-June. You will be able to stay at the headquarters hotel for an incredible rate—almost 30 percent less than average room rates—but you must sign up early. Space in the Marriott is limited.

What Does Comminution Mean for Plumbing Engineers?

In just a few weeks, you will be able to look it up in the ASPE Plumbineering Dictionary, an indispensable technical reference book. Watch for the sales brochure in the mail. ASPE members only can get this resource at an unbelievable bargain price of $29.95.

Why Should You Attend the 2010 Convention in Philadelphia?

The hotel rates are fantastic. The historic environment of the city is unparalleled. The Exposition remains the largest in the world for plumbing engineers, designers, and contractors. The technical programming will be superb. And the opportunities for networking and feeling part of our unique profession will be incomparable.

Let Us Help You Choose ASPE

Yes, economic times are still tough, but if you find yourself having to make a choice about keeping up your ASPE dues, don’t even think twice. ASPE has special opportunities for you to remain an active member utilizing the Society's compassionate waiver of dues policy. Check it out with your chapter president or contact Stacey A. Kidd.

What in the World Are the Hunter Papers?

ASPE believes that the papers authored by Dr. Roy B. Hunter are part of the backbone of plumbing engineering. Thus, we have created an exact replica of three of his early works in one volume. These are the original research documents that formed the basis for plumbing engineering codes and standards, and they have been out of print for years. However, you now have an unbelievable opportunity to purchase a reproduction of the three major Hunter papers. Watch for the order form in your mail. Order early to be sure you get one of what will be a limited printed set.

How Can ASPE Help Plumbing Engineers Hold Their Specs?

According to ASPE’s recent poll, the majority of respondents think that working with PCA and other contractor groups to educate them on the importance of holding the spec as well as holding webinars and discussion groups on the importance of holding the spec are the best ways ASPE can help plumbing engineers hold their specs. Surprisingly, 24 percent think plumbing engineers can’t hold their specs due to pressure from contractors and manufacturers.

What Is the Best Way for ASPE to Go Green at the 2010 Convention?

Should the Society eliminate paper altogether? Click here to take our poll.

EDUCATIONAL AND NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES

NEW! Charlotte Golf Outing Being Held April 30

ASPE’s Charlotte Chapter is holding this event at Olde Sycamore Golf Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. Cost includes driving range, green fee, cart, beverages, lunch, and prizes. Contact Todd Arnett for more information.

April 30: Central Florida Golf Outing

ASPE’s Central Florida Chapter is holding this event at the DeBary Golf and Country Club in DeBary, Florida. Click here for a registration form.

April 30: Baltimore Golf Outing

ASPE’s Baltimore Chapter is holding this event at the Timbers at Troy in Elkridge, Maryland. All proceeds go toward the John Jung Memorial Scholarship, given to a worthy local engineering student. Contact David Goodellfor more information.

May 6: New Jersey Golf Outing

ASPE's New Jersey Chapter is holding this event at The Architects Golf Club in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. All teams that register as Platinum Sponsors will be entered in the Corporate Challenge. The team that finishes with the lowest net (Calloway) score will be crowned the Tournament Champion and receive the coveted Maloney & Curcio-PVI Perpetual Cup. Contact Fred Holzapfel for more information.

NEW! Dallas Golf Outing Being Held May 7

ASPE’s Dallas/Ft. Worth Chapter is holding this event at the Prairie Lakes Golf Course in Grand Prairie, Texas, with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. Cost includes golf, prizes, and lunch. Click here to register.

May 11: Central Florida Product Show

ASPE’s Central Florida Chapter, in conjunction with ASHRAE, is holding this event at the Orange County Fairgrounds. Click here for more information.

May 14: Los Angeles Golf Outing

ASPE's Orange County and Los Angeles Chapters are hosting this event at the Los Serranos Golf Course in Chino Hills, California. The chapters give a special thank you to the following event sponsors: Sloan Valve (Gold Sponsorship) and FBC Building Solutions and Speakman Company (Silver Sponsorships). Go to aspeoc.com more information.

May 21: Denver Golf Outing

ASPE’s Denver Chapter is holding this event at Eagle Trace Golf Club in Broomfield, Colorado. Hole sponsorships are available. Contact Tim Butts (720-217-8771) for more information.

May 25: Western Michigan Golf Outing

ASPE’s Western Michigan Chapter is holding this event at the Quail Ridge Golf Club in Ada, Michigan, starting with lunch at 11:15 a.m. The registration fee includes golf cart, lunch, and dinner. For more information, e-mail mailto:ASPEWestMichigan@gmail.com.

June 4: Raleigh Golf Tournament

ASPE’s Raleigh Chapter is holding this fundraising event at Riverwood Golf Course in Clayton, North Carolina, starting with an open driving range at 8:45 a.m. Cost includes green fee, cart, beverages, and lunch. For more information, contact Scott Sansbury.

NEW! St. Louis Golf Outing Being Held June 8

ASPE’s St. Louis Chapter is holding this outing at the Warrenton Golf Course, with a shotgun start at 9:30 a.m. Contact Dave Bujnak for more information.

NEW! San Diego Golf Outing Being Held June 15

ASPE’s San Diego Chapter is holding this event at the Carlton Oaks Lodge and Country Club in Santee, California, starting with free driving range privileges at noon. Registration includes golf cart, range balls, and drink tickets. Contact Mike Adkins for more information.

NEW! Chicago Golf Outing Being Held June 18

ASPE’s Chicago Chapter is holding this event at Hilldale Country Club in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, starting with a shotgun tee-off at 8:30 a.m. Lunch and beverages will be served, and after the event will be a cocktail hour and buffet dinner. Contact Steve Triphahn to register.

NEW! Pittsburgh Golf Outing Being Held June 18

ASPE’s Pittsburgh Chapter is holding this event at the River Forest Country Club in Freeport, Pennsylvania, starting with lunch at 11 a.m. Cost includes golf, cart, locker room, lunch, dinner, prizes. Contact Joe Starr (412-782-3357) for more information.

NEW! Buffalo-Niagara Golf Outing Being Held June 21

ASPE’s Buffalo-Niagara Chapter is holding this event at Bridgewater Country Club in Fort Erie, Ontario, starting with lunch at noon. (An enhanced driver’s license or passport is required for border crossing.) Cost includes lunch, green fee, cart, and dinner. Contact Irv Gareleck (716-316-3545) for more information.

NEW! Central Ohio Golf Outing Being Held June 22

ASPE’s Central Ohio Chapter is holding this event at the New Albany Links Golf & Country Club in New Albany, Ohio, starting with a shotgun tee-off at 10:30 a.m. Golf, cart, lunch, dinner, beverages, and prizes are included in the registration fee. For more information, contact Chad Dupler.

June 23: Atlanta Golf Outing

ASPE’s Atlanta Chapter is holding this event at the Golf Club at Bradshaw Farms in Woodstock, Georgia, with a shotgun start at noon. Proceeds help the ASPE Scholarship Fund. Click here for a registration form.

NEW! Milwaukee Tailgate Party Being Held June 30

ASPE’s Wisconsin Chapter is holding an outing at Miller Park to watch the Milwaukee Brewers take on the Houston Astros. Price includes transportation to and from the game, drinks and food, and a ticket to the game. Click here for more information.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Today Is Earth Day

People across the world have committed to more than 31 million acts of green this Earth Day. What can you do to help? Learn about campaigns all over the country at EarthDay.org.

How Can Fire Sprinklers Help Save the Environment?

In addition to saving lives and property, automatic fire sprinklers installed in homes can help save the environment. According to Environmental Impact of Automatic Fire Sprinklers by FM Global and the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition, greenhouse gases released by burning buildings can be reduced by 98 percent when automatic fire sprinklers are installed. Researchers constructed two identical living rooms (one protected by a sprinkler) and a fire was ignited in each room. In the end, scientists discovered that automatic fire sprinklers reduce fire damage by up to 97 percent, reduce water usage to fight a home fire by upwards of 90 percent, and reduce the amount of water pollution released into the environment.

2.6 Billion People Still Live Without Access to Improved Sanitation Facilities

The United Nations recently released two reports documenting the state of water and sanitation programs worldwide. Targeting Resources for Better Results highlights where efforts stagnate to meet the Millennium Development Goal to halve by 2015 the proportion of people worldwide without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. However, Progress on Sanitation and Drinking Water includes evidence that the world is on track to meet or exceed the safe drinking water goal.

Google Aims for 100 Percent Water Recycling at Its Data Centers

Data center cooling systems require a lot of water, so in its effort to make its data centers more efficient, Google is experimenting with different ways to use recycled water in its cooling systems. The company has installed water treatment plants at two locations, both of which now use 100 percent recycled water. By the end of this year, Google plans to achieve at least 80 percent recycled water consumption at all of its data centers. Learn more about its plans and view a video about one of its water treatment systems here.

EPA Announces Upgrades to Energy Star Program

The U.S. EPA is announcing new, more rigorous guidelines for new homes looking to earn Energy Star certification. Compared to the prior Energy Star guidelines, the new requirements increase the energy efficiency of qualified homes by more than 10 percent, making them more than 20 percent more efficient than homes built to the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code. These guidelines will begin to go into effect in January 2011, although some builders may choose to adopt the new requirements earlier.

Will Graywater Reuse Impact Municipal Water Reuse?

Not likely, according to White Paper on Graywaterby AWWA, the Water Environment Federation and the Water Reuse Association. The report finds that the quantitative impact of increased graywater reuse on the water reuse industry is expected to be modest, even under the most aggressive growth assumptions. Much of the growth in graywater reuse is expected to take place in areas where municipal water recycling will likely not be practiced, such as unsewered urban areas and rural and remote areas.

Non-chemical Devices Used in Cooling Towers Can’t Prevent Biological Growth

New research supported by ASHRAE indicates that non-chemical devices marketed to control the growth of biological agents, such as Legionella in cooling towers, may not materially reduce biological growth. The project evaluated five non-chemical devices using different technologies to control biological activity in a model cooling-tower system: a hydrodynamic cavitation device, pulsed and static electric field devices, an ultra-sonic device, and a magnetic device. One of the non-chemical devices measurably reduced planktonic or sessile microbial populations in comparison to no-treatment tests and to a conventional chemical microbial control treatment protocol. The findings appear to be inconsistent with previous research by non-chemical device manufacturers and some independent researchers on some of the same devices tested in the ASHRAE study. Those other studies reported measurable degrees of biological control within the parameters of testing conducted. The full study will be released in June.

Can Fire Safety and Green Building Coincide?

A recent study found a significant safety gap between conventional fire prevention practices, building codes, and fire suppression techniques, and the evolving design and construction innovations introduced in the quest for more sustainable architecture. Thus, the National Association of State Fire Marshals has launched a new website, GreenBuildingFiresafety.org, which offers insight into the complex issues of constructing environmentally responsible buildings while still meeting the fire safety needs of occupants and first responders. 

Constructing an Energy-efficient Swimming Pool

According to an article in Green Builder, new systems, better application of technology, and progressive thinking are bringing sustainability to backyard swimming pools. The article discusses how to incorporate energy-efficient designs, such as using variable-speed pumps. In addition, the pump itself can run more efficiently if larger, straighter pipes, sweep elbows, lower pressure backwash valves, and oversized filters are used.

U.S. Water Infrastructure Overhaul Is Imperative to Sustainability

Infrastructure 2010: Investment Imperative, by the Urban Land Institute and Ernst and Young, probes water challenges in the United States and abroad, including the overlapping challenges of aging pipes, failure to conserve, contamination threats, and the difficult issue of effective water management. The report shows that the U.S. has the highest water footprint in the world, using nearly 656,000 gallons per capita annually, greatly outstripping far more populous China, which uses less than 186,000 gallons per capita annually. In addition to highlighting water issues in 14 U.S. cities as illustrative of the problems looming throughout much of urban America, the report offers solutions to the nation's water infrastructure problems aimed at fostering collaboration among different governmental entities, incorporating land use planning into infrastructure planning, and accepting higher user costs as a necessity.

Invasive Zebra Mussel Found in Indianapolis Reservoir

According to an article in the Indianapolis Star, state wildlife officials say the invasive zebra mussel has been found in a Central Indiana reservoir that supplies drinking water to the Indianapolis area. Zebra mussels are known for clogging drainage and filtration pipes and can attach to virtually anything in the water column.

United States Leads the Way in Geothermal Energy Production

In a recent study, the Geothermal Energy Association reports that the United States currently leads the world’s countries in online geothermal energy capacity and continues to be one of the principal countries to increase its geothermal growth. As of this month, the United States has a total installed capacity of 3,086.6 megawatts. Based on new and planned projects, in the next few years the potential capacity could increase to 7,875.16 megawatts.

Water Softeners Are Among the Very Best Energy Savers

According to a study commissioned by the Water Quality Research Foundation and performed by Battelle Memorial Institute, water softeners offer green benefits to water heaters, appliances, and showerheads. Among the findings, showerheads on soft water maintained a brilliant luster and full flow, and faucets on softened water performed well throughout the study—nearly as well as the day they were installed. However, showerheads on hard water lost 75 percent of their flow rate in less than 18 months, and faucets on hard water could not maintain the specified 1.25 gallons per minute flow rate because of scale collection of the strainers. The strainers on the faucets using unsoftened water were almost completely plugged after 19 equivalent days of testing. Read more results here.

Energy-saving Desalination Method Discovered

An environmental engineer has partnered with a University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee professor to develop a microbial fuel cell that generates electricity using wastewater, while also purifying the water, as well as a third capability: desalinating a separate supply of water. The prototype is small enough to fit in the palm of the hand and only processes 60 milliliters of wastewater at a time. However, the team is working on a larger reactor with more commercial viability. The reactor itself is a three-chambered device in which microbes feed on the organics in the wastewater of one chamber, causing removal of ions from saltwater in an adjacent chamber. The metabolic energy created by the microbes also is the catalyst that produces the current. Learn more here.

UNC Professor Devises New Water Purity Test

A professor of environmental studies and engineering at the University of North Carolina has invented a device, which he says could likely be produced in Japan for less than 25 cents each, that would allow people to quickly and easily find out the concentration of bacteria in their water supplies. Read more about how it works here.

Solar and Swimming Pool Code Changes Needed

IAPMO is calling for formal code proposals toward the development of the 2012 editions of the Uniform Solar Energy Code and Uniform Swimming Pool, Spa and Hot Tub Code. The code proposal form, as well as proposal instructions and background on IAPMO’s ANSI-accredited consensus development process, can be found here. All proposals recommending new text, revised text or the deletion of text must be written in legislative format and clearly state the reason behind the recommendation. The deadline for submitting proposals is 5 p.m. EDT on Aug. 2.