In Historic Move, California Building Standards Commission Green Visionaries Approve New Graywater Standard — July 31st, 2009
Dawn of a new era
Half of all carbon emissions are from buildings. Buildings built to current codes are sucking the groundwater out from under California. Graywater permits are part of an outdated system that focuses on microscopic risk as our species is engulfed by huge, emerging risks.
“On August 4th, 2009, California can legally install simple laundry and single fixture systems without a permit. For the first time, licensed professionals can legally help
with the 1.7 million existing graywater systems in the state. ”
–Art Ludwig, graywater researcher and educator
NBN Member Art Ludwig will be giving a press conference Tuesday August 4th, 2009 from 9:00 to 9:30 am, at the Santa Barbara Library Main Branch Downtown, at the start of his free, City of Santa Barbara-Sponsored workshop on Laundry to Landscape systems currently with over 100 registrants. Ludwig, who participated in the historic graywater code adoption meeting last week in Sacramento at the behest of the City of Santa Barbara Water Resources Division, will tell the story of this code’s process (which involved the biggest stakeholder meetings for any code promulgated by CA Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD)). He will also discuss the significance of the Building Standards Commission’s historic shift from considering only occupant safety to also taking into account off-site and future impacts of a building’s systems. (California Building Standards Commission (www.bsc.ca.gov) is currently revising California’s Green Building standards, another sea change).
A collision of world views was in full evidence at the July 31st hearing of the California Building Standards Commission that considered the CA Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD)’s proposed new graywater standards. Emergency standards pertaining to new Graywater Standards for residential construction (EF 01-09)
In a hearing lasting all day, highly qualified stakeholders spoke passionately for and against the adoption of the new standards as the hearing roller-coastered dramatically to its historic conclusion.
The commissioners are to be congratulated for their leadership. It is always more work to set up a new system than to fit into an existing one.
It would have been a lot easier to stand aside as legal buildings continue to waste resources and pollute the environment. However, in the face of deeply entrenched, powerful opposition, the commission is rising to the challenge of revising all of California’s building codes to allow/ require better building systems and besides its emergency approval of the new graywater standards yesterday, the California Building Standards Commission is also revising California’s Green Building Standards to include many new mandatory and voluntary measures to reduce negative impacts and increase positive impacts of California buildings.
RESOURCES
Media resources, links to how to educational materials for the public http://www.oasisdesign.net/greywater/press/
BACKGROUND
On June 4, 2008 Governor Schwarzenegger signed Executive Order S-06-08 proclaiming that a statewide drought condition existed and directed the Department of Water Resources (DWR)www.water.ca.gov/ to take specific action to counter the drought.
In 2008, Senate Bill 1258 (Ch. 172, Stats. Of 2008) was signed by the Governor enacting new statues in the Health and Safety Code(section 17922.12 and 18941.7) and amending existing statute in the Water Code ()Section 14877.1) These statutes, effective January 1, 2009, including requirements that directed the Department of Housing and Community Development(HCD) to propose to the California Building Standards Commission (CBSC) building standards for the construction, installation, and alteration of graywater systems for residential indoor and outdoor uses.
On Feb 27 , 2009, Governor Schwarzenegger issued a proclamation declaring a drought to be in existence and a state of emergency to exist in California. This proclamation was based upon the circumstances of severe drought conditions that by the reason of their magnitude is beyond the control of the services , personnel, equipment and facilities of any one local entity and requires the combined forces of a mutual aid region or regions to combat.
Existing Graywater standards contained in the California Code of Regulations (CCR) Title 24, California Plumbing Code, Part 5, Appendix G are based upon requirements for private sewage disposal. Theses standards have been found to be overly prescriptive and antiquated, and not readily usable by persons seeking to install graywater systems for the purpose of water conservation.
The graywater regulation revolution was started in 1989 in Santa Barbara, California. It spread from there to four other communities, then the whole state, via the Uniform Plumbing Code, in 1992.
The approach the commission has now adopted is being used successfully in the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and soon Nevada, Montana, and Oregon. With this change, California is regaining its leadership role for graywater reuse.
After an extraordinary year of working on a variety of sustainable and conventional building projects throughout Canada and the US, I’ve been back in Canada doing a bit of consulting and renovating, studying for LEED and looking for interesting projects near home and further afield to fill the next year.
