Chapter Members: Bend Your Region Director’s Ear at the Region Meetings

The ASPE Region Chapter Presidents Meetings are a forum for chapter presidents and other officers to meet with their region directors to learn more about the Society’s current activities and to discuss ideas for the future. The schedule for the meetings is: Region 1, June 11–12, in Richmond, Virginia; Region 2, June 4–5, in Pittsburgh; Region 3, June 4–5, in Raleigh, North Carolina; Region 4, June 4–5, in Scottsdale, Arizona; and Region 5, June 4–5, in Minneapolis.

Go Inside the Green Codes During the Next ASPE Webinar

On June 30 at 1 p.m. CST, Julius Ballanco, PE, CPD, FASPE, will present a webinar that will review the latest code requirements from the 2009 plumbing codes for alternative water sources such as graywater, reclaimed water, harvested rainwater, and on-site treated water, as well as provide a sneak preview of the changes that will be coming in the 2012 editions of the codes. Click here to register now.

Chapters Helping Members Attend the 2010 Convention

While the ASPE Convention is the most affordable professional development and social networking event in the industry—not to mention including the largest plumbing product and service tradeshow in North America—some members may worry that they can’t afford to attend. That’s why ASPE chapters are stepping forward to help defray the costs by raffling off full registrations or hotel room nights or by picking up some portion of the fee. Ask your chapter president if your local chapter is offering such a giveaway. Not a member? Apply for ASPE membership now to take advantage of these and other great opportunities.

Are You Ready to Serve?

Fresh thinking and new ideas are needed to help move the Society into the future. At the 2010 ASPE Convention, the delegates will be voting on the 2010–2012 ASPE board of directors. All positions are open for full members—are you ready to take action and make changes? If so, click here for the application form.

Chapters: Choose Your Delegates Early!

To arrange appropriate housing, ASPE encourages all chapters to name their delegates to the Business Meeting by July at the latest. This will give delegates ample time to make a reservation at the hotel of their choice or give chapter presidents time to reserve a block of rooms for its delegation. All block room reservations must have names and final payment information by mid-September. After September 15, ASPE cannot guarantee rooms in our chosen hotel at our special rates.

Does Your Company Deserve an ASPE Industry Award?

ASPE's Industry Award is given biennially to companies for outstanding service in the advancement of plumbing engineering technology. Any ASPE member may nominate a company (including their own). Click here for the nomination form. The deadline for nominations is June 30.

EDUCATIONAL AND NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES

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.

June 8: St. Louis Golf Outing

ASPE’s St. Louis Chapter is holding this outing at the Warrenton Golf Course, with a shotgun start at 9:30 a.m. Click here for more information (page 11).

June 10: Portland Golf Outing

ASPE’s Portland Chapter is holding this event at Lewis River Golf Course in Woodland, Washington, with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. Cost includes green fee, cart, continental breakfast, and a post-tournament awards lunch. Click here for more information.

NEW! Basic Plumbing Design Course Being Held in Dallas June 11–12

ASPE’s Dallas/Ft. Worth Chapter, in partnership with TDIndustries, is offering a two-day, 12-hour course tailored to assist young plumbing designers with the basics of plumbing design. Breakfast and lunch will be provided, and each attendee will receive a copy of the course handbook and a certificate for 1.2 CEUs or 12 REUs. Click here for more information.

June 15: San Diego Golf Outing

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.

June 18: Chicago Golf Outing

ASPE’s Chicago Chapter is holding this event at Hilldale Country Club in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, with a shotgun start 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.

June 18: Pittsburgh Golf Outing

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, and prizes. Contact Joe Starr (412-782-3357) for more information.

June 21: Buffalo-Niagara Golf Outing

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.

June 22: Central Ohio Golf Outing

ASPE’s Central Ohio Chapter is holding this event at the New Albany Links Golf & Country Club in New Albany, Ohio, with a shotgun start at 10 a.m. The registration fee includes golf, cart, lunch, dinner, beverages, and prizes. 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 Atlanta Chapter Scholarship Fund. Click here for a registration form.

June 25: Interleague Evening at Camden Yards

ASPE’s Baltimore and Washington, D.C., Chapters have 50 tickets to watch the Baltimore Orioles host the Washington Nationals at Camden Yards at 7:05 p.m. Tickets are available for $6 each. Contact Ben Ploskon to RSVP.

June 30: Milwaukee Tailgate Party

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. Click here for more information.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Join Other Engineers to Help Solve the World’s Water versus Energy Crisis

Starting at noon EST on June 3 and lasting for 24 hours, a multiplayer forecasting experiment dubbed E = H20 will be held online. Engineers are invited to contribute their expertise and insight to this experiment to help reveal solutions and transform the way the world looks at water and energy.

How to Avoid the Coming Clash Between Water and Energy?

In a special report, IEEE Spectrum examines the water versus energy conundrum: how our thirst for water conflicts with our hunger for energy. In three parts, the report examines how municipal projects are both helping and exacerbating the problem, how water and energy affect humans’ ability to feed themselves, and how new technologies might help solve the problem.

Georgia Governor Signs Water Conservation Legislation

On Tuesday, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue signed the Water Stewardship Act of 2010, which will restrict outdoor watering from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., require the installation of high-efficiency toilets, showerheads, and faucets in all new commercial buildings, and require the installation of efficient cooling towers in new industrial construction. The legislation, which goes into effect in 2012, is aimed to conserve water and help resolve a legal dispute involving Georgia, Alabama, and Florida over rights to water from Lake Lanier.

New York State Canal System Designated a No-discharge Zone

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation recently announced that the entire New York State Canal System is now a no-discharge zone, which means that boats are banned from discharging sewage into the canals. Boaters instead must dispose of their sewage at specially designated pump-out stations. The New York State Canal System is 524 miles long and includes the Erie, Cayuga-Seneca, Champlain, and Oswego Canals, which link the Hudson River, Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario, Finger Lakes, and Niagara River. Prior to the ban, vessels operating in these waters were allowed to discharge treated sewage from approved marine sanitation devices.

Tucson Rainwater Harvesting and Graywater Rules Go into Effect

On Tuesday, an ordinance signed in 2008 requiring rainwater harvesting designs on all new commercial developments with outdoor landscaping went into effect. Another ordinance requiring graywater hookups in new homes also went into effect on Tuesday. At the time the rainwater harvesting ordinance was signed, it was the first such legislation in the United States.

Biodiesel from Sewage Sludge Creeps Closer to Competitiveness

Existing technology can produce biodiesel fuel from municipal sewage sludge, the solid material left behind from the treatment of sewage at wastewater treatment plants, that is within a few cents a gallon of being competitive with conventional diesel refined from petroleum, according to an article in Energy & Fuels. The United States alone produces about seven million tons of sewage sludge each year.

Rockville, Maryland, Green Building Regulations Take Effect July 1

Last month, the Rockville, Maryland, City Council adopted a revised version of the city’s building ordinance, which adds a new article titled "Green Building Regulations" that requires builders and renovators to improve energy efficiency, water conservation, storm water management, and indoor air quality in both commercial and residential buildings. Builders must choose from a list of green-building options similar to the LEED system and achieve the Rockville equivalent of 25 LEED points out of a possible 110 to be approved for construction. However, they will not be required to go through the official LEED certification process.

Look Before You Leap: Your Local Swimming Pool May Make You Sick

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released a report on violations identified during routine swimming pool inspections, which found that of 111,487 inspections across the country, 13,532 (12.1 percent) resulted in immediate closure because of serious violations (e.g., lack of disinfectant in the water) causing recreational water illnesses such as gastroenteritis. However, prevention of such illnesses can be achieved by simple measures such as maintaining appropriate disinfectant and pH levels to maximize disinfectant effectiveness and ensuring optimal water circulation and filtration.

New NASA Satellite Helps Monitor Water Consumption

NASA engineers have begun building hardware for a new Landsat satellite instrument that helps monitor water consumption—an important capability in the U.S. West where precipitation is sparse and water rights are allocated—now that they have passed an independent review of the instrument's design and integration and testing methods. The thermal infrared sensor will provide data to monitor such things as water consumption on a field-by-field basis in the U.S. West for agricultural purposes. The measurement technique is viewed as the most effective way to determine who is consuming water because it more accurately defines how much water is being removed from the system by a given individual or entity.

Can Your Shampoo Cause Cancer?

In an article in Environmental Science and Technology journal, Yale University scientists report evidence that certain ingredients in shampoo, detergents, and other household cleaning agents may be a source of precursor materials for the formation of a suspected cancer-causing contaminant in water supplies that receive water from sewage treatment plants. This contaminant, called NDMA, can form in small amounts during the disinfection of wastewater and water with chloramine. The research showed that when mixed with chloramine, some household cleaning products formed NDMA.

Rainwater Harvesting Training Sessions Announced

The American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association Level 100 workshops are one-day introduction courses open to anyone interested in learning more about rainwater harvesting in nonpotable applications. This course will provide an overview of rainwater harvesting, its history, uses, and applicability to conserving rainfall as a natural resource. Demonstrations will be conducted to reinforce the concepts learned through rainfall simulations and the use of a simple rainfall harvesting system. The cost to attend this workshop is $50.Click here for more information.