The proposed Illinois Plumbing Code changes can be found in the 2018 Illinois Register, Volume 42, Issue 52, pages 324-426.

It looks like 11 new Illinois plumbing code sections are being proposed, including Water Harvesting Systems, Greywater, Rainwater and even Blackwater.

Also, proposed are 21 amendment changes to the existing code sections which include:

• Hot water to be generated, distributed and maintained at 160 degrees Fahrenheit or higher for buildings other than residential.
• Plumbing fixtures (like public lavatories) that require tempered or mixed water will need to be mixed within 12 inches before the fixture.
• Air Chambers will no longer be approved, they will be replaced with the use of water hammer arrestors.
• And many more…

Despite the day-to-day impacts that this is going to have on plumbers, these changes appear to be strongly supported by those in the industry. The hope is that these changes can help reduce bacterial growth that are listed as “Opportunistic Pathogens” in the newly proposed code. Bacteria that causes Legionella Pneumophila and similar diseases are examples of these opportunistic pathogens.

After the tragedy in Flint, Michigan, it makes sense that the state of Illinois would no longer approve the use of lead products in plumbing systems. In the proposed code, lead and galvanized will no longer be listed as approved materials.

Tuberculation is a less commonly known problem than lead poisoning and legionella. When mounds of corrosion products form on the inside of steel piping it may be more than just annoying and detrimental to our piping.

I applaud these efforts as well as the recent release of the new Illinois Accessibility Code in October of 2018 and look forward to the benefits they will have for the people of Illinois.