ICC, CSA Group Seek Comments on Rainwater Harvesting Standard

The joint U.S./Canadian standard will address design and performance of rainwater harvesting systems, water shortages, storm water management and water quality

The International Code Council and CSA Group have posted the first draft of the CSA/ICC B805 Rainwater Harvesting Systems standard for public review. The standard will help code officials in jurisdictions seeking an industry standard to develop guidelines that work with existing building codes. It especially will be useful in regions that want to use rainwater harvesting to counteract drought, storm water management concerns and water quality issues for commercial and residential applications. The standard also supports sustainable construction.

The first public review draft of CSA/ICC B805 is available for download at www.iccsafe.org/Rainwater-Harvesting-Draft. Comments can be submitted online at publicreview.csa.ca/Home/Details/1773. Comments will be accepted until Nov. 24.

The standard will support existing codes and design requirements for major types of water storage tanks, system sizing methods, water quality criteria, storm water management and automatic fire sprinkler system integration.

Demand for the standard is driven by the growing interest in rainwater harvesting as a sustainable, renewable, resilient source of water for homes and commercial buildings. Rainwater systems touch many parts of a building including structural, roofing, gutters and plumbing. Rainwater, when properly harvested and treated, and in compliance with local ordinances, can be used in many applications such as fire suppression, flushing, cooling towers, landscape irrigation, drinking water and swimming pool refill.

Developed by an 18-member CSA/ICC Rainwater Collection System Design and Installation Consensus Committee, the standard will ensure the basic safety and performance of rainwater collection systems. The standard is being developed in accordance with both ICC’s ANSI and CSA’s Standards Council of Canada accredited standard development processes for use throughout North America.

The International Code Council is a member-focused association. It is dedicated to developing model codes and standards used in the design, build and compliance process to construct safe, sustainable, affordable and resilient structures. Most U.S. communities and many global markets choose the International Codes.

CSA Group is an independent, not-for-profit membership association dedicated to safety, social good and sustainability. Its knowledge and expertise encompass standards development; training and advisory solutions; global testing and certification services across key business areas including hazardous locations and industrial, transportation, plumbing and construction, medical, safety and technology, appliances and gas, alternative energy, lighting and sustainability; as well as consumer product evaluation services. The CSA certification mark appears on billions of products worldwide. For more information about CSA Group visit www.csagroup.org.