The International Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Foundation (IWSH) recently helped to teach local high school students how to conduct household plumbing surveys that assess the quality and function of homes’ plumbing systems.
Working in Lowndes County, Alabama, IWSH led a training with 12 high school students from Central High School and Calhoun High School.
Apprentices from Plumbers & Steamfitters Local Union 91 constructed product demonstration boards that included faucets, pipes and other fixtures so the students could get hands-on experience and learn about home plumbing systems. The high schoolers were also taught how to use the IWSH Household Plumbing Survey, a tool that assesses the efficacy of indoor plumbing systems.
IWSH has been working in Lowndes County for the past few years with LIXIL Americas, FujiClean USA, and the Black Belt Unincorporated Wastewater Program (BBUWP) as part of a larger initiative to improve homes’ water efficiency and sanitation system functions.
“The training IWSH led for the local high school students will equip teenagers with the education and tools to conduct these surveys and perform a much-needed service in their own community,” said BBUWP Executive Director Sherry Bradley. “We see these kids learning the correct words about plumbing systems and understanding what’s not working within homes, and why. The students are now an integral part of improving people’s quality of life in Lowndes County.”
Based on the IWSH Household Plumbing Surveys, IWSH and LIXIL Americas staff were able to analyze the repairs needed in each home surveyed. IWSH then created job sheets that provided guidance for volunteer plumbers from the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry of the United States and Canada Locals 52, 91, 760, and South Central Pipe Trades — who are licensed in Alabama — to upgrade fittings, fixtures and appliances in selected homes using water-efficient products donated by LIXIL Americas.
IWSH is the philanthropic arm of the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO®).
