THE Australasian Scientific Review of Reduction of Flows on Plumbing and Drainage Systems (ASFlow) has signed a MoU with US-based Plumbing Efficiency Research Coalition (PERC).
The MoU was signed on 3 December at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headquarters in Washington, D.C.
ASFlow and PERC are both working on research programs that seek to investigate the impact of reduced water flows in sanitary drainage systems resulting from reductions in water use from plumbing fixtures and fittings, appliances and commercial and institutional equipment.
According to industry insiders, many plumbing experts are concerned that a significant number of sanitary waste systems will be adversely affected by drainline transport problems, especially in larger commercial systems that have long horizontal drain lines to the sewer.
This concern is holding up various programs, such as the U.S. EPA’s WaterSense development of a specification for High Efficiency Commercial Toilets.
The MoU will see the organisations collaborating on several areas so research areas are not duplicated. There are also provisions for the sharing of information and research results.
In addition, the MoU calls for both organizations to interact internationally with standards developing organizations and other researchers for the betterment of global water efficiency efforts.
PERC has recently developed a low-cost work plan for investigating reduced flows in drainage systems, with input from ASFlow, and is seeking funding to conduct their research program.