40 HEALTH AND SANITATION
Sustainable systems : The answer to emergency events , and limitations in natural resources
By Christoph Lohr
David Viola , IAPMO CEO
In the spirit of the sharing of unique experiences that shape the plumbing industries in our respective nations , the following article looks at the importance of designing resiliency into our plumbing systems . Written by IAPMO Vice President of Strategic Initiatives , Christoph Lohr , P . E ., it is the next in a regular series of similar articles that will run in this magazine .
Severe winter storms in mid-February caused a massive blackout and state of emergency in Texas . Dubbed by many as ‘ Texageddon ’, the near collapse of all infrastructure ( food , fuel , cell towers , power grid , water systems , emergency services , and roads ) was eye-opening to say the least .
Many , both officially and unofficially , are evaluating all systems and decisions previously made , and suffering consequences ( which can be good or bad ) as a result . One of the lessons that so far has been less discussed is common regional design practices . For example , in the Southwestern United States , domestic water piping and appurtenances ( such as RPZ backflow preventers ) are often exposed or located along exterior walls . These practices are not done in northern states to prevent pipes bursting during freezing conditions . While this is something that is not normally addressed within building codes , it does bring up the question : to what level should we engineer resiliency into our plumbing systems ?
Plumbing resiliency is something that is unique and inherently different from building resiliency . Building resiliency focuses solely on the ability to “ resist and recover from disruption due to emergencies .” Plumbing resiliency , however , focuses not only on the ability to resist and recover from disruption , but also to develop sustainable systems ( for example drought prevention ), maintain and improve the safety and health of populations , and provide affordable water and sanitation for all peoples ( equity ). To truly develop resilient plumbing
www . plumbingafrica . co . za @ plumbingonline @ plumbingonline @ PlumbingAfricaOnline September 2021 Volume 27 I Number 7