The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) strongly supports the White House initiatives announced June 1 to address global water security and advance building codes and standards. The new action plans will assist communities in becoming more resilient to extreme weather events, such as drought, and have broader access to affordable water and sanitation services. 

In a related development, IAPMO also applauds the release of a report by the administration's Drought Resilience Interagency Working Group. The report outlines the actions the Biden-Harris administration has taken across the federal government to date to improve drought-stricken communities' longer-term resilience to drought through financial and technical assistance.

The administration notes that extreme weather events not only threaten millions of U.S. homes each year, but also take an even greater toll on underserved communities.

"These announcements from the White House target issues that are central to IAPMO's work — improving the resiliency and water security of communities across America and the globe," said Dain Hansen, IAPMO's executive vice president of government relations. "IAPMO is heartened by the administration making these issues a priority and recognizing that every dollar invested in building code adoption provides 11 times more in savings by reducing damage and helping communities recover more quickly. 

"IAPMO stands ready to offer our technical expertise to communities seeking to improve their plumbing resiliency," Hansen continued, "not only with our data-driven model Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) and Uniform Mechanical Code (UMC) but with innovative tools such as our IAPMO Water Demand Calculator that correctly sizes plumbing pipes for high-efficiency fixtures and appliances while reducing construction costs."