LAST CHANCE! Alfred Steele Scholarship Deadline Is This Weekend

The ASPE Alfred Steele Scholarshipis limited to ASPE members and their immediate families. Registration deadline is Jan. 31.

Volume 4 Has Arrived!

Plumbing Engineering Design Handbook Volume 4 currently is being shipped to all members in good standing as of Jan. 1, so make sure your membership is current to receive your copy. To pay your dues, visit www.aspe.org; fax renewal to 773-695-9007; or pay via phone at 773-693-2773. If you’re not a member and would like to receive Volume 4, sign up for membershipnow.

CPD Exam Registration Is Open

The 2009 Certified in Plumbing Design exam will be held April 17 or 18 depending on the test taker’s chosen location. The deadline to register is April 3. Two practice tests will be available at www.aspe.org in late February.

FOR SALE! 2008 Convention Program Anthology

Available in the ASPE Store is the Anthology of the 2008 Convention Technical Presentation Program Materials. Take advantage of this special offer: $35 for ASPE members and $135 for nonmembers when using coupon code Cov200812. Also available for purchase are audio CDs from each educational session. Hear each education session as it was presented! Click here to order.

Don’t Miss Your Chance to Present at the 2009 Technical Symposium

Share your knowledge and expertise at the 2009 ASPE Technical Symposium, Oct. 23–25, in Dearborn, Michigan. ASPE currently is accepting proposals for nonproprietary educational sessions.

Win a Garmin!

ASPE’s Capital Region New York Chapter is giving away a Garmin GPS device at its Feb. 12 meeting. All new members who join the chapter between Dec. 18, 2008, and Feb. 12, 2009, are eligible. Visit www.aspenycap.org for meeting information.

EDUCATIONAL AND NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES

Omaha Holiday Party Rescheduled for Jan. 31

ASPE's Omaha Chapter's Holiday Party will be held at Sortinos in Omaha from 8 to 10 p.m., followed by bowling at Mockingbird Lanes. Contact Mike Gregory at 402-346-7007 or Dave McGill at 402-330-5900 for more information.

Los Angeles Fuel Oil System Design Seminar Being Held Feb. 7

ASPE’s Los Angeles Chapter is holding this day-long seminar at Steven’s Steak and Seafood House in City of Commerce, California. Cost is $75 for ASPE members and $100 for nonmembers. Group discounts are available. Visit www.aspela.com to register.

Next ASPE Webinar is February 11

The first ASPE webinar in the 2009 series on grease interceptors will be presented by Rand Ackroyd, executive director of the Plumbing and Drainage Institute. Cost is $69.95 for ASPE members and $129.95 for nonmembers. Click here to register today.

Dallas Advanced Plumbing Design Course Being Held Feb. 27–28

Sponsored by ASPE’s Dallas/Ft. Worth Chapter and TDI Industries, this two-day course will cover siphonic roof drainage, Sovent systems, chase clearances, and how to obtain LEED points. Cost is $150 for members and $250 for nonmembers. Contact Rick Lobb for an application.

Virginia-area LEED Training Course Being Held Feb. 27

In conjunction with IES and Sustainable Design Consulting, ASPE’s Richmond Chapter is holding this day-long course to increase participants’ knowledge of green design and help prepare them to take the LEED accreditation exam. Participants must RSVP by Feb. 13. Contact Rob Grubbs for more information.

NEW! Mark Your Calendar for the Next ASPE Webinar: LEED Points Strategies on March 18

Plumbing engineers and designers frequently are called on to design plumbing systems that qualify for various levels of LEED certification. On March 18 at 1:00 p.m. CST, ASPE will present the LEED Points Strategies webinar. Presenter David DeBord will provide the tools to assist your efforts to incorporate sustainable design practices into your projects, as well as introduce the specific requirements for LEED certification. It's free to ASPE members thanks to sponsor Bradley Corp. Registration will be available at www.aspe.org soon. (Remember to save the confirmation e-mail since that is your link to enter the webinar.)

Phoenix Golf Tournament Scheduled for March 20

ASPE’s Phoenix Chapter is holding its annual golf tournament at the Starfire Golf Club. Registration deadline is March 9. Click here for a registration form.

Orlando Plumbing Design Workshop Being Held March 28

ASPE’s Central Florida Chapter is holding this day-long workshop at the RDV Sportsplex in Orlando. Cost is $125 for ASPE members, $175 for nonmembers, and $50 for students. CEUs are available. Visit the chapter’s January newsletter for a registration form.

Buffalo-Niagara Trade Show Being Held April 8

The Buffalo-Niagara/PHCC trade show is being held from 2:00–7:00 p.m. at the Hearthstone Manor in Depew, New York. For more information or to reserve a table, contact Joseph Eppolito or Dorothy Reddy or visit aspe.org/Buffalo-Niagara.

Chicago Product Show Scheduled for April 16

ASPE’s Chicago Chapter’s Product Show is being held at the White Eagle Restaurant in Niles, Illinois. Technical seminars will run from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the product show runs from 3:30–8 p.m. More than 500 products will be displayed in over 90 exhibits. Product show and all seminars are free. CEUs are available. For additional information, contact Frank Sanchez.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Anti-residential Sprinkler Legislation Would Preempt Recent ICC Code Requirement

Homebuilders in several states are beginning an initiative to prevent local adoption of the 2009 provisions for residential fire sprinklers by introducing state legislation that would block new adoptions of residential fire sprinkler requirements. Such bills have just been filed in Arizona (HB2267) and North Dakota (SB2354). Fire service groups in Arizona are already engaged to fight their bill, and a similar response is expected shortly in North Dakota. The International Association of Fire Chiefs, ASPE, and other concerned groups will strongly fight such legislation.

National Engineers Week is Feb. 15–21

Sponsored by the National Engineers Week Foundation, National Engineers Weekis held annually to ensure a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce by increasing understanding of and interest in engineering and technology careers among young students and by promoting pre-college literacy in math and science. Engineers Week also raises public understanding and appreciation of engineers' contributions to society. ASPE urges all members and others in the plumbing engineering industry to participate in or sponsor events in your local area. Get the word out to high school and college students about the plumbing engineering industry to ensure a future workforce in our profession.

PEX Now Approved in California Plumbing Code

The California Building Standards Commission (CBSC) recently certified the Environmental Impact Reporton crosslinked polyethylene, or PEX, tubing. In doing so, the CBSC adopted regulations approving PEX water distribution systems into the California Plumbing Code. The new regulations take effect Aug. 1, 2009. Until then, local jurisdictions can adopt a code to use PEX in new and remodel construction before statewide adoption.

Philadelphia May Permit PVC Pipes

Philadelphia, the last remaining county in the state and possibly the country that prohibits PVC piping, may soon permit the use of the modern construction material if proposed legislation is passed by City Council. Click here to read the article.

Dry Drains Forum Being Held March 11

ISH 2009 is hosting a forum on dry drains, a controversial plumbing issue that impacts the global plumbing industry, including regulators, manufacturers, planners, installers, and building owners. The event will be held at the Conference Centre within Messe Frankfurt, the location of the 2009 ISH show. The Dry Drains Forum is an initiative of World Plumbing Review and is supported by the World Plumbing Council. Click here for full details.

WaterSense to Label First Commercial Building Product

The U.S. EPA’s WaterSense program announces its first product labeling effort for commercial building products with the release of a draft specification for high-efficiency flushing urinals that are 50 percent more efficient than the current federal standard. Before they can earn the WaterSense label, urinals must comply with existing standards for flushing urinals and must be tested for trap seal restoration and flush effectiveness. EPA currently is collecting public comments on this draft specification.

CIPH and CWWA Partner to Promote Water Demand Reduction

The Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating and the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association have joined forces to promote water demand reduction programs among Canadian municipalities. The boards of directors of both associations have supported a joint position statement to encourage the promotion and use of fixtures and supply fittings that have been certified by an accredited certification organization to both Canadian standards and the U.S. EPA WaterSense program. The position statement encourages the future formal adoption of WaterSense-like provisions in the applicable CSA national consensus standards for fixtures and fittings.

Plumbing Museum Reopens in Watertown, Massachusetts

A Worcester landmark, the American Sanitary Plumbing Museumhas officially reopened in its new home along the Charles River in Watertown. The museum’s collection is comprised of claw-foot bathtubs, ornate water closets, and antique sinks. It also features a large library of turn-of-the-century trade magazines and newspapers, and a circa 1910 plumbing shop with original tools and equipment. While the museum is entrusted to Plumbing, Heating, Cooling Contractors of Greater Boston (PHCC), it lies on the property of the Watertown-based mechanical contracting firm J.C. Cannistraro LLC. 

Bradley Corp. Hosting Green Manufacturing Summit

Milwaukee-area manufacturers are invited to attend a business forum focusing on cost-saving green technologies at the 2009 Green Manufacturing Summit, which will be held Thursday, Feb. 12, at the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center in Bayside, Wisconsin. The free, half-day event is presented by Bradley Corp. of Menomonee Falls in partnership with Focus on Energy and the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Business and community leaders and other green experts will shed light on sustainable best practices and illustrate cost- and resource-saving strategies geared toward small- and mid-size local manufacturers. Registration is required, as space is limited.

Colorado State of Plumbing Forum Being Held Feb. 6

Plumbers, plumbing contractors, architects, engineers, suppliers, general contractors, code enforcers, and facility managers: Learn directly from the Examining Board of Plumbers how the Colorado Plumbing Program operates, and get your questions answered. The forum will be held at the Red Rocks Community College from 1:00–5:00 p.m. It is sponsored by the Colorado Association of Mechanical and Plumbing Contractors.

Water Treatment Industry Tradeshow Scheduled for March 17–21

WQA Aquatech USA 2009, sponsored by the Water Quality Association, will be held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center outside Chicago. The focus of the tradeshow is strategies for staying afloat during tough economic times.