ASPE Adds Its 60th Chapter!

The official charter date of ASPE’s newest chapter, Puerto Rico, is April 17, 2009, as voted by the board of directors. It will be part of Region 3. The charter presentation will take place in San Juan within the next couple of months, and information on the event will be placed in Pipeline and PS&D. Current members interested in changing their chapter status to be part of the Puerto Rico Chapter should contact Stacey Kidd.

2009 Alfred Steele Scholarship Recipients Announced

ASPE congratulates the following students: Nathan Kenny, a senior at Lamp Magnet High School in Pike Road, Alabama, received $2,500 toward his tuition at University of Alabama, where he will be majoring in mechanical engineering. Ryan Beaudrie, a senior at Lawrence Tech University in Southfield, Michigan, received $2,500. He is a student member of ASPE and works full time at Ron George Design and Consulting Services as a mechanical designer/CAD operator. Alex Nazarian, a freshman at the University of Iowa where he is majoring in mechanical engineering, received $1,500. He works at the Engineering Model Annex in Iowa City, helping construct models while under the supervision of a professional engineer.

ASPE Member Passes Away

Graham P. Aspinall passed away on Sunday, April 5, from cancer. Graham is survived by his wife, Judy, daughters Kim, Erin, and Megan, and eight grandchildren. Graham worked with Quadra Pacific Consultants for more than 40 years and had been a member of the ASPE British Columbia Chapter since 1977. His quick wit and jovial spirit will be missed by all.

Save the date for the Next ASPE Webinar: Graywater Systems

On Wednesday, June 3, at 1:00 p.m. CST, Winston Huff will present our next webinar on Graywater Systems. Cost is $69.95 for ASPE members and $129.95 for nonmembers. Participants can earn 0.1 CEU or 1 PDH. Don’t miss this opportunity!

ASPE Archived Webinars

Unable to participate in a live webinar? Miss the webinar that you wanted to see? No problem. Access to ASPE archived webinars is now available, which allows you to view and listen to previously recorded events at a time that is most convenient for you. ASPE members can view archived webinars for free depending on if the webinar was sponsored during the original broadcast. Click here to find out more. 

PS&D Seeks Authors for Fire Protection System Articles

If you have expertise in fire pump design or thermal expansion control and would like to author an article on either topic, contact Gretchen Pienta with a proposed article outline.

Sponsors Make It Happen

ASPE’s Dallas/Ft. Worth Chapter thanks Platinum Sponsors—PVI North Texas Sales, Kohler Co., Mayco Sales, Dillard and Associates, Lubrizol, and Park Environmental—for their support in making its April Casino Night the best ever!

Cleveland Chapter Celebrates 35 Years

ASPE’s Cleveland Chapter is celebrating its 35th Anniversary this June. Region 2 Director Mitch Clemente will be presenting a plaque at the next chapter meeting.

EDUCATIONAL AND NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES

NEW! Nashville Golf Tournament Being Held May 1

ASPE’s Nashville Chapter is holding its annual golf outing at the Pine Creek Golf Course in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. Cost is $75 per golfer or $300 per foursome. Click here to register online.

UPDATED: May 1–2: Advanced Plumbing Design Course in Lubbock, Texas 

Due to a huge volleyball tournament at Texas Tech that weekend, almost all hotels in the area are sold out. The chapter has a few rooms at the Embassy Suites, so call the Embassy Suites directly (806-771-7000) if you need hotel reservations (use group name: DFW ASPE). If you plan on attending the class, touch base with Rick Lobb ASAP.

May 7: New Jersey Golf Outing

ASPE’s New Jersey Chapter's annual golf outing is being held at The Architects Golf Club in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. All teams that register as Platinum Sponsors will be entered in the Corporate Challenge. Contact Fred Holzapfel for more information.

NEW! Phoenix-area Medgas Design Seminar Being Held May 8

ASPE’s Phoenix Chapter and Piping Industry Progress and Education Trust Fund are sponsoring a seminar on NFPA 99 and related medical gas topics at the Arizona Pipe Trades Joint Apprenticeship in Phoenix. The $15 cost includes the seminar, lunch, refreshments, and 0.35 CEU. RSVP to Dorothy Thrasher at 602-824-5238 by May 2.

NEW! Dallas-area Golf Outing Being Held May 8

ASPE’s Dallas/Ft. Worth Chapter’s annual spring golf outing will be held at the Prairie Lakes Golf Course in Grand Prairie, Texas. Cost is $80 per golfer if you preregister by May 5. Hole sponsorships are available. Contact James Walls to register.

May 8: Southern California Golf Tournament

ASPE’s Orange County and LA Chapters are hosting their annual Spring Classic Golf Tournament at the Los Serranos Golf Course in Chino Hills, California. The chapters thank premium corporate sponsor Speakman Company. Click here for more information.

May 13: San Francisco Product Show

ASPE’s San Francisco Chapter is holding its annual Technical Seminar and Tabletop Show at the Scottish Rite in Oakland, California. Click here for more information.

UPDATED! Dallas Clay Shoot Rescheduled for May 15

Get your shooters reconfirmed for the ASHRAE Dallas and ASPE Dallas/Ft. Worth Chapter Clay Shoot at Elm Fork Shotgun Sports in Dallas. Registration is still open, and members, nonmembers, vendors, and beginners are welcome. Cost is $100 per shooter. Contact Charles Crawford to register.

May 15: Raleigh Golf Tournament

ASPE's Raleigh Chapter is holding its annual golf tournament in honor of Norman Parks at the Riverwood Golf and Athletic Club in Clayton, North Carolina. Cost is $350 per foursome. Hole sponsorships are available for $150. For more information, contact Scott Sansbury at 919-772-4767.

May 20: Houston Product Show

ASPE’s Houston Chapter is holding its annual product show at the Sam Houston Race Park in Houston. For more information, contact Cyril Unger at 713-871-8484. Get three extra door prize tickets by preregistering at aspe-houston.com.

May 27: Quebec City Golf Tournament

The ASPE Quebec City Chapter will hold this event at the Grand Portneuf golf course. Click here for details.

May 29: Denver Golf Tournament

ASPE’s Denver Chapter’s golf tournament will be held at Eagle Trace Golf Club in Broomfield at 8:00 a.m. Registration deadline is May 1. Cost is $110.00 per person. For more information, contact Rich Garner or Tim Butts.

June 2: St. Louis Golf Tournament

ASPE’s St. Louis Chapter’s golf event will be held at the Warrenton Golf Course at 9:30 a.m. Cost is $85 per player. Hole sponsorships are available for $75. Contact Dave Bujnak for more information.

NEW! Pittsburgh Golf Outing Being Held June 12

ASPE's Pittsburgh Chapter is holding its annual golf outing at the River Forest Country Club in Freeport, Pennsylvania. Cost is $85 per golfer or $340 per foursome. Hole sponsorships are available for $50. For more information, contact Joe Starr at 412-782-3357 or Don Ditter at 412-209-2903

NEW! Buffalo Golf Tournament Scheduled for June 15

ASPE’s Buffalo-Niagara Chapter’s annual golf outing starts with lunch at noon at the Bridgewater Country Club in Ft. Erie, Ontario. (Participants are reminded of the new border crossing requirements.) Cost is $75 per golfer. Contact Irv Garleck at 716-316-3545 to register. Hole and door prize sponsorships are available—contact Joe Eppolito at 716-633-5300.

NEW! Southern California Golf Tournament Being Held June 17

ASPE’s San Diego Chapter is holding its golf outing at the Carlton Oaks Lodge and Country Club in Santee, California. Cost is $99 per golfer, and hole sponsorships are available. Click here for more information.

NEW! Salt Lake City Golf Tournament Being Held June 23

ASPE’s Intermountain Chapter is holding its annual golf tournament at Mt. Dell Golf Course in Parley’s Canyon, Utah. Cost is 75$ per person, and hole sponsorships are available for $175. Registration deadline is June 5. For more information, contact Suzanne Kocherhans at 801-322-0487.

June 23: Central Ohio Golf Tournament

ASPE’s Central Ohio Chapter is holding its annual golf outing at the Links at Echo Springs. Receive 10 percent off if you register before May 30. Click here for more information.

June 24: Atlanta Golf Tournament

The ASPE Atlanta Chapter’s annual golf outing is being held at 1:00 p.m. at The Golf Club at Bradshaw Farms in Woodstock, Georgia. Click here for a registration form.

NEW! Cleveland Minor League Baseball Outing Being Held July 18

Join the ASPE Cleveland Chapter in watching the Lake County Captains (Cleveland Indians) take on the Greenville Drive (Boston Red Sox). Cost is $9, which includes a box seat and post game fireworks. Request tickets from Mitch Clemente no later than June 12.

NEW! Cleveland-area Golf Tournament Being Held August 6

The joint ASPE/ASSE golf outing will be held at Fowlers Mill Golf Course in Chesterland, Ohio. Cost is $115 per golfer. Dinner only is $40. Register by July 17 to avoid a late fee. Click here for more information.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Fire Protection Leaders Join Forces to Help Stop Anti-fire Safety Legislation

Fire service advocates in Ohio provided testimony to legislators to defeat a proposed amendment to Ohio House Bill 2 that would have taken several steps to prevent the implementation of important, life-saving fire safety requirements, including prohibiting any jurisdiction in the state from adopting any fire safety provision stronger than the statewide code requirements. The language was removed from the bill. In Maine, several state fire service groups and fire safety advocates recently appeared at a public hearing to discuss a bill that would have exempted residential one- and two-family dwellings from the provisions of the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code. The committee did not move the bill forward at a work session held subsequent to the hearing.

Kansas Teenager Injured in Medical Gas Accident, Raising Questions About Inspection Responsibility

A Lawrence, Kansas, teenager was seriously injured when complications occurred after he was sedated using an oxygen and nitrous oxide medical gas system at a local dentist’s office. City officials claim the city was not legally obligated to ensure that a qualified private firm was hired by the builders to inspect the medical gas system before the building was occupied. Read more here.

UL Announces Certification Program for Annex G of ANSI/NSF 61

Underwriters Laboratories is now providing manufacturers of plumbing-related products certification to Annex G of ANSI/NSF 61. Annex G is an optional evaluation method for products to demonstrate less than 0.25 percent weighted average lead content. In addition, UL is creating a separate certification program for low-lead compliance that will include testing of metal alloys to demonstrate compliance to California Assembly Bill 1953. This program will help manufacturers with products that are required to demonstrate compliance with the recent California law, but are not covered by or specifically included in ANSI/NSF 61. This program will also give manufacturers the option of demonstrating compliance with the law using a means other than Annex G. Visit www.ul.com for more information.

EPA Announces More Than $760 Million in Funds for Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Projects

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $761.7 million to the states of Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia. This infusion of money will help state and local governments finance many of the overdue improvements to water and wastewater projects that are essential to protecting public health and the environment. Click here for links to details on the individual funding awards.

Pennsylvania Sets New Standards for Wastewater Discharges

The state Department of Environmental Protection announced that new discharge standards for industrial wastewater that is high in total dissolved solids (TDS) will take effect by January 2011. The new permitted limit for discharges of high-TDS wastewater will be 500 milligrams per liter of TDS and 250 mg/L for both chlorides and sulfates. By January 2011, all facilities accepting high-TDS wastewater for treatment must meet these discharge limits. DEP will develop a proposed rulemaking to amend the water quality regulations this summer with an opportunity for public comment. Click here to view the permitting strategy, keyword: Wastewater, then select the Marcellus Shale Wastewater Partnership link.

DOE Launches Initiative to Boost Efficiency of Commercial Buildings

The U.S. Deptartment of Energy recently launched the Commercial Real Estate Energy Alliance (CREEA), a collaboration of commercial real estate owners and operators who will work with DOE to reduce energy consumption by commercial buildings. The undertaking will link the real estate community with research and technology emerging from DOE national laboratories. The group will serve as a national forum in which best practices in energy efficiency are documented and publicized and in which peers can share practical experiences and insights. The alliance also will be a collective buying voice to influence suppliers of building materials to create more energy-efficient equipment.

New Report Claims Legislation Has Destroyed the Clean Water Act

Supreme Court decisions in 2001 and 2006, and subsequent agency policies by the U.S. EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers, have shattered the fundamental framework of the Clean Water Act, according to Courting Disaster: How the Supreme Court Has Broken the Clean Water Act and Why Congress Must Fix It, a new report by Natural Resources Defense Council, Clean Water Action, Earthjustice, Environment America, National Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, and Southern Environmental Law Center.

Rain Bird's 2009 Intelligent Use of Water Film Competition Now Accepting Entries

The Intelligent Use of Water Film Competition is open to all narrative, documentary, animated, or experimental short films that explore methods and ideas to responsibly manage and use water. For more information, visit www.IUOWFilm.com.

NSF Certifies First PVCO Pipe to AWWA C909 in North America

IPEX Incorporated is the first molecularly oriented polyvinyl chloride (PVCO) pressure pipe manufacturer to receive certification to the ASTM F1483 and AWWA C909 standards for pressure pipes. Click here for the official listing.

New Website Educates Consumers and Builders About PEX

CaliforniaPEX.com features practical information about PEX, links to PEX in the news, and information about the sustainability factor of PEX. It is regularly updated with new information from plumbing and heating contractors and other building professionals who are successfully specifying and installing PEX plumbing, fire safety, and radiant floor heating and cooling systems in residential and commercial projects. In addition, the site is aggregating news about PEX and its applications from both the general media and various trade journals.

Green Plumbers Receives Environmental Award

GreenPlumbers, an environmental training program for plumbers, received one of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Awards, which acknowledge groups and individuals for commitment and significant contributions to the environment.

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

Quiet House System Helps Indoor Environmental Quality

Charlotte Pipe’s Quiet House is a unique plumbing system that uses both cast iron and PVC products. The system uses cast iron for the stacks, which eliminates the sound of water from fixtures on floors above flowing down. This unique acoustic feature makes it a good choice for green building projects, as it is an asset to indoor environmental quality, one of the criteria of the LEED for Homes rating system.

Concealed Carrier System Combines Design Flexibility with Water Savings

Geberit’s new Concealed Tank and Carrier System for a wall-mounted urinal provides in-wall technology for design flexibility, water savings, and reliable performance. The system includes actuator flush panels that help reduce water consumption and meet sustainability volume requirements.

New High-efficiency, Gravity-siphon Jet Toilets Introduced

Zurn Engineered Water Solutions has introduced three new high-efficiency 1.28-gpf two-piece tank toilets, with 3-inch-high performance gravity siphon jet flushing technology. The EcoVantage Z5535, Z5545, and Z5555 water closets offer commercial grade performance with a powerful siphon jet flushing action, a large water surface, and a 2-inch fully glazed trapway.