The State of Georgia and the City of Chicago have both incorporated provisions from IAPMO’s Green Plumbing and Mechanical Code Supplement (GPMCS) in their respective water efficiency standards.

Georgia Senate Bill 370, a comprehensive water conservation law that includes the establishment of mandatory efficiency standards for water closets, faucets and urinals, uses language and related definitions from the IAPMO Green Supplement for Section 8 of the bill, which revises Section 8-2-3 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated. The bill uses the Green Supplement’s definitions for “water closet” and “WaterSense,” as well as the supplement’s provisions for urinals and a modified version of its requirements for toilets and faucets. The bill was signed into Georgia State law on March 18.

In addition, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) on March 22, released its 2010 Model Water Conservation Ordinance, a document that will be used as a resource by communities in the region employing conservation initiatives. The document’s preface directly acknowledges IAPMO’s contribution to its creation:

“This ordinance is a result of extensive review of over 60 existing ordinances and research on water conservation measures,” the preface states. “Documents such as the Green Code Supplement of the International Association for (sic) Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) WaterSense publications were important sources that informed the ordinance with up to date and state of the art material.”

“It’s incredibly satisfying and rewarding to see the Green Plumbing and Mechanical Code Supplement being utilized in this exact manner for which it was developed,” said IAPMO Director of Special Services Dave Viola, who served as the staff liaison to the Green Technical Committee that created the code. “This document can be applied seamlessly to a multitude of municipal programs, standards and laws.”