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President's Report

VP Technical Article

VP Legislative Article

VP Membership Article

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January 2026

President's Report

I have recently returned from a trip to Lima, Peru and as many of you know, this is the place where I was born and raised. This is the third time I’ve had the opportunity to travel back to Peru since my family moved to the United States back in 1999. It is always a special experience to reconnect with my roots and to visit family members and old friends. I especially enjoyed reconnecting with an old friend from High School, his name is Giancarlos. We were very close friends during high school and it had been 26 years since we last saw each other. I was amazed to hear that he is now a very successful Industrial Engineer. As we remembered old times and shared stories, I remembered that every day in the morning before school started, at 14 years of age, Giancarlos would go to work delivering newspapers by foot to several newsstands around our town. Needless to say, he grew up under very humble circumstances and he needed to work in order to help his parents provide for him and his younger siblings. His work ethics, integrity, and diligence are an example to me and a reminder that regardless of our circumstances, we can overcome the challenges that we face. I hope we can find a little inspiration from my friend Giancarlos and find a little boost of encouragement to overcome the challenges we may be facing. I hope this year brings you much success as Plumbing Designers and Engineers as you take full advantage of your ASPE membership.

VP Technical Article

Scholarship!!!

For ASPE members and their immediate Family! Spread the word, the ASPE Alfred Steele Scholarship deadline is January 31^st 2026! Up to $5,000 in scholarship money may be awarded each year to qualified applicants. This scholarship is limited to ASPE members and their immediate families.

“This scholarship is named in honor of Alfred Steele, PE, a long-time member of the American Society of Plumbing Engineers and a visionary and pioneer in advocating education and professional development for plumbing engineers and designers.

The Alfred Steele Scholarship is limited to ASPE members and their immediate families who have a GPA of 3.0 or higher who are in or plan to attend a college, university, or technical school on a full-time basis (minimum 12 credit hours), enrolled in an engineering program.” ASPE National website.

Please see link below for the ASPE scholarship webpage. I hope you or a family member may benefit from this scholarship this year!

https://www.aspe.org/membership-global-community/membership/alfred-steele-scholarship/

Application PDF

https://www.aspe.org/wp-content/uploads/Steele_packet_2022.pdf

Another Scholarship worth looking into is the Utah Engineers Council.

Our local ASPE chapter has sponsored a UEC scholarship in the past and it would be awesome if someone from our chapter received it. For more information see the link below.

https://utahengineerscouncil.org/scholarships/#

Contact [email protected] for more information.

Good luck!

Dallan Naumann

VP Legislative Article

Hi everyone. I was reviewing part of the Amendments for the State of Utah and thought it would be good review. This is chapter 6 of the International Plumbing Code. As it is stated this was effective on July 1, 2023. Always remember that the plumbing code is there to keep everyone safe. Knowing the code and showing that information on the drawings helps get the approvals and reduces the headaches during construction.

Effective 7/1/2023
15A-3-306. Amendments to Chapter 6 of IPC.

(1)

IPC, Section 602.3, is deleted and replaced with the following: "602.3 Individual water supply. Where a potable public water supply is not available, individual sources of potable water supply shall be utilized provided that the source has been developed in accordance with Utah Code, Sections 73-3-1, 73-3-3, and 73-3-25, as administered by the Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water Rights. In addition, the quality of the water shall be approved by the local health department having jurisdiction. The source shall supply sufficient quantity of water to comply with the requirements of this chapter."

(2)	IPC, Sections 602.3.1, 602.3.2, 602.3.3, 602.3.4, 602.3.5, and 602.3.5.1, are deleted.

(3)

In IPC, Table 604.4, the following changes are made in the column titled "MAXIMUM FLOW RATE OR QUANTITY":

(a)	In the row titled "Lavatory, private" the text is deleted and replaced with "1.5 gpm at 60 psi".

(b)	In the row titled "Shower head" the text is deleted and replaced with "2 gpm at 80 psi".

(c)	In the row titled "Urinal" the text is deleted and replaced with "0.5 gallon per flushing cycle".

(4)	A new IPC, Section 604.4.1, is added as follows: "604.4.1 Manually operated metering faucets for food service establishments. Self closing or manually operated metering faucets shall provide a flow of water for at least 15 seconds without the need to reactivate the faucet."

(5)	IPC, Section 606.5, is deleted and replaced with the following: "606.5 Water pressure booster systems. Water pressure booster systems shall be provided as required by Section 606.5.1 through 606.5.11."

(6)	In IPC, Section 606.5.1, the words "public water main or" are deleted.

(7)	A new IPC, Section 606.5.11, is added as follows: "606.5.11 Water pressure booster pumps connected to a public water main. A water pressure booster pump shall not be connected to a public water main unless allowed by Utah Administrative Code, Rule R309-540."

(8)	In IPC, Section 608.1, the words "and pollution" are added after the word "contamination."

(9)

In IPC, Section 608.1, the following subsections are added as follows:
     "608.1.1 General Installation Criteria.
     An assembly shall not be installed more than five feet above the floor unless a permanent platform is installed. The assembly owner, where necessary, shall provide devices or structures to facilitate testing, repair, and maintenance and to insure the safety of the backflow technician.
     608.1.2 Specific Installation Criteria.
     608.1.2.1 Reduced Pressure Principle Backflow Prevention Assembly.
     A reduced pressure principle backflow prevention assembly shall be installed as follows:
     a. The assembly shall not be installed in a pit or below grade where the relief port could be submerged in water or where fumes could be present at the relief port discharge.
     b. The relief valve of the assembly shall not be directly connected to a waste disposal line, including a sanitary sewer, storm drain, or vent.
     c. The assembly shall be installed in a horizontal position, unless the assembly is listed or approved for vertical installation in accordance with Section 303.4.
     d. The bottom of each assembly shall be installed a minimum of 12 inches above the ground or the floor.
     e. The body of the assembly shall be a minimum of 12 inches from any wall, ceiling, or obstacle, and shall be readily accessible for testing, repair, and maintenance.

VP Membership Article

What is your resolution?

This is the time of year when many people are setting goals and telling others how they will be different this year from last year. The gyms have been packed, and some fast food chains may have even seen a (slight) dip in sales. By the time you are reading this many of those people will have already given up. The main cause of failure: unrealistic expectations. I have been guilty of thinking I will go from overweight couch potato to marathon runner in the month of January. That is unrealistic.

What is realistic? Incremental growth, founded on realistic expectations of what is possible to do from where we are today. Instead of cutting out all fast food, maybe switch one burger a week to a salad (taco salad counts), maybe find some friends you can walk with, and invite them to join you as a member of ASPE. Studies have shown that if you have a community around you to facilitate change it will make the change permanent, and ASPE is all about helping people make positive changes in their lives. The changes in my life I have seen from ASPE are a greater knowledge base, and a community to hold me accountable to being the best plumbing engineer I can be. I haven’t asked, but I bet I could even get a few people together for an ASPE walking (or other exercise) group.

What do you think you can gain from being a part of ASPE? Who of your friends and colleagues would have greater success in their career by joining you on your journey of better designing? I hope you can join me in my resolution to be more active in the ASPE Intermountain community.