OpEd: The Future of Water Needs Plumbers
OpEd: The Future of Water Needs Plumbers (Chicago, IL) — If you want to see the future of water, visit the Plumbers Local 130 Union Training Center located at 1400 W Washington Blvd in downtown Chicago, and ask your childrens’ science and technology teachers to consider taking their next class field trip there. Why? Sustainable water management and climate resilience for our region start here. This facility is built to inspire the next generation of plumbers with a photovoltaic power supply, green roof, and onsite greywater recycling and rainwater harvesting system, solar-vacuum-tube water heaters and tankless water heaters of any brand they are able to get their hands on. The training center focuses on the plumber’s role in protecting public health with education and training on backflow prevention, cross-connection, and water quality associated with multiple system plumbed buildings including rainwater harvesting, greywater recycling, decentralized water reuse for black water recycling, and condensate reuse. The future of water has arrived in New York City at the Domino Sugar redevelopment where a decentralized on-site black-water water recycling cycle has removed 11 acres and five buildings from the old combined sewer system and eliminated site contributions to combined sewer overflows. It’s too bad that the lack of water policy in Illinois is a barrier to implementing that technology here. A little water policy will go a long way towards clean water and climate resilience.
OpEd: The Future of Water Needs Plumbers
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