Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/845499
W EEK LY EDITION JULY 5, 2017 D ispatch #2 from South Africa …continued PSAI is at the table for the development of an International Working Agreement on Sustainable Fecal Sludge Processing Systems Q: So is that the scope of the IWA or standard then? A: Not exactly. The Gates Foundation parameters are specific to their grant program. But they serve as the inspiration – and aspiration – for these systems. Here is the draft scope statement for the IWA , which is much more succinct: This technical standard specifies requirements and test met hods to ensure safety, performance, and sustainability of community - scale resource - oriented fecal sludge treatment units that serve approximately 1,000 to 100,000 people. This document applies to treatment units that (a) primarily treat human excreta, (b) able to operate in non - sewered and off - grid environments, and (c) are modular and factory - built. This document does not apply to sanitation treatment units requiring sewer infrastructure or electric grid access, nor to units built in - situ. Additionally, tr eatment units to which this standard applies exhibit resource recovery capability (e.g., energy, drinking water, fertilizer) and are capable of being energy neutral or energy net positive. This document is intended to ensure the general performance, safet y, and sustainability of such units. This document excludes installation, selection, and maintenance and operation of such units. Here is a rough diagram of what is intended: Q: You call the eventual outcome of this project a "technical standard." What d oes that mean? A: ISO and ANSI differentiate between a technical standard , which focuses on the requirements for how a product must be built and what it must be able to actually do, and a management standard , which focuses on the operation and maintenance of the product. In time, both will be needed for the innovative products that will help address the world's sanitation woes – but we are starting with the technical standard because that's where the new systems are in the development process. PAGE 3 CONTINUED ON PAGE 4