Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Local Government Committee

HB 1213

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Brief Summary of Bill

Requires the State Building Code Council to adopt rules requiring all new buildings constructed in cities with a population over 95,000 to reuse greywater consistent with criteria developed by the Department of Health (DOH).
Directs the DOH to update greywater reuse standards, procedures, and guidelines for to allow for the reuse of greywater to meet building water use needs including heating and cooling, and the flushing of toilets

Background:

Greywater Reuse.

The Department of Health (DOH) is responsible for developing standards, procedures, and guidelines, with input from technical experts, for the cost-effective reuse of greywater. Greywater is wastewater from bathtubs, showers, bathroom sinks, washing machines, dishwashers, and kitchen or utility sinks. Greywater does not include flows from a toilet or a urinal.

The criteria developed by the DOH must encourage the application of greywater reuse technology for conserving water resources or reducing wastewater load. Rules adopted by the DOH limit greywater to being used only for subsurface irrigation in which greywater is applied below the surface of the ground directly into the roots of plants.

State Building Code Council.

The State Building Code Council (SBCC) reviews, develops, and adopts the State Building Code. The Washington State Building Code is comprised of several different codes which develop minimum performance standards and requirements for the construction, maintenance, and accessibility of structures. Most of the state building codes are national model codes that are adopted by reference and modified as appropriate to meet state-specific needs.

Summary of Bill:

By the first building code update after January 1, 2020, the SBCC must adopt rules to require all new buildings, regardless of size or classification, constructed in a city with a population of over 95,000 to reuse greywater for the purposes of meeting building water use needs. The rules adopted by the SBCC must include, at minimum, the requirement that all toilets and urinals within buildings subject to these rules use only greywater sources of water.

Greywater sources within buildings subject to this rule must empty into a common storage tank, the design of which, including the materials used, size, and location of the tank within the building, must contemplate:

the cost-effectiveness of design alternatives;
the expected capacity of the building; and
the expected greywater use volumes to be generated.

The SBCC must, in consultation with the DOH, adopt rules addressing the following requirements associated with the implementation of greywater reuse:

treatment requirements for different greywater sources prior to the greywater being deposited in the building's reuse tank; and
standards for determining conditions in which greywater reuse is allowed for purposes of meeting building water use needs, building heating and cooling needs, or irrigation.

The rules adopted by the SBCC and the DOH pertaining to the use of greywater to meet building water needs supersede all local government codes in cities required to comply with these rules.

In addition, the DOH is required to update its standards, procedures, and guidelines to allow for the reuse of greywater to meet the water use needs of a building, including heating and cooling, and the flushing of toilets.