municipally supplied reclaimed or recy - cled water . LEED points are awarded not only for the reduction in potable water use, but also for diversion and reuse of storm and waste water that, in conven - tional construction, would leave the site . Water Efficiency is Key Why all of this attention on water effi - ciency? Water supply issues are noth - ing new to some arid western regions, but in recent years, several major cit - ies on the east coast have seen lakes and streams that supply municipal water treatment facilities dissipate to danger - ously low levels . It is now an issue across all of the United States . In major cities we were surprised to learn that cooling tower make - up water in some cases rep - resents the majority of water consumed in a building, so making every fixture a “low - flow” unit wouldn’t even address the biggest water user in the building . Water supplies are finite while future demand on that water is infinite . As pop - ulations continue to grow we can’t keep using precious, treated drinking water to flush toilets and urinals, to irrigate land - scapes or for other huge water consum - ers like cooling tower make - up that can easily use “less than potable” water . It’s been said that in future decades, the sup - ply of clean fresh water will be far more important to the people of the earth than the supply of oil could ever be . A number of companies have pioneered systems for the collection, filtration and treatment of water for these non - potable applications . Until recently the vast major - ity of this water was used outside of a structure for irrigation . Only now are we beginning to truly appreciate the benefits of non - potable water applications . Need to Convey Water Inside a Building As a result, there is increasing demand to convey non - potable water inside the building by installing a separate dis - tribution system for this water to those fixtures and applications that can use it . An engineer can now design a building and have thousands of gallons of non - potable water available for such uses . From a codes and standards view - point, non - potable water piping systems within a building is an area that is still under construction . There are hearings and discussions currently underway, not only in the U . S . , but all around the world . One thing everyone agrees on is that non - potable water systems must be clearly and easily identified for human health and safety reasons . There must be no chance that a reasonable person would ever mistake a non - potable water supply line for a potable water line . In areas where non - potable water systems have been in use for a substan - tial period of time (Europe, Australia, Canada), the universal color code for “do not drink” is purple . In the U . S . , this color scheme has been adopted for PVC pipe used for the distribution of non - potable water outside of a building, for irriga - tion and municipal reclaimed distribution systems . The engineers that have specified these new systems for non - potable water inside of a building told us they have often used copper . They had the contrac - tor paint the copper tube purple and then do some sort of field marking . After listening and surveying engi - neering firms in cities big and small, the consensus was that they needed a non - potable, indoor piping system that would: A) Meet all of the requirements and demands of the commercial domestic potable water systems that they were designing . After all, these new non - potable water systems are going to be distributing water for many of the same applications and uses that previously used drinking water and would be under the same pressures and demands as the potable systems . From a codes and stan - dards viewpoint, engineers and code officials want a piping system that was already listed as being suitable for pota - ble water in the majority of the nation’s plumbing codes because the applications for the two systems mirror one another . B) Be permanently and clearly marked “Non - Potable Water/Do Not Drink” . C) Meet a 25/50 flame spread and smoke developed rating (per ASTM E 84 test protocol) so that the system could be installed in an unducted return air plenum . This would satisfy commercial construction standards . D) Have an easy, reliable and proven installation method . Over the past year, engineers and owners told us about a non - potable water application for which a product is needed, and no dedicated product exist - ed . Because manufacturers are always eager to introduce groundbreaking new products, Charlotte Pipe and Foundry listened with great interest … and then developed the industry’s first CPVC non - potable water piping system . Usually when a new plumbing prod - uct, material or method is introduced, the manufacturer meets with architects, engi - neers and facility owners in an effort to convince them that they should use the new product . But in our case, the reverse happened . Vic Hines, CPD, LEED - AP, is a senior field technical representative with Char - lotte Pipe and Foundry Co . and travels the Mid - Atlantic, Northeast and New England areas . Hines has been with the company since 2005 . He has spent two decades in the distribution of fluids - handling products, and the past decade with pipe and fitting manufacturers in technical positions . He is active in his local Richmond, VA, chapter of ASPE and is a member of the ASTM F - 17 plastic standards committee . Reach him at VHines@charlottepipe . com . The color purple is used to identify pumps, tanks and pipes carrying reclaimed water for reuse . Photo courtesy of South Florida Water Management District . THE KEY BENEFIT OF NON - POTABLE WATER PIPING SYSTEMS Reprinted with permission from pme, October 2009 © BNP Media