The New York City Plumbing Code was recently amended to require residential buildings, in the event of an emergency, to provide drinking water to a common area supplied directly through pressure in the public water main.
Buildings that supply potable water from the public water main for dwelling units and sleeping units in occupancy groups I-1, R-1, R-2 and R-3 with the assistance of pumps, shall provide additional fixtures that, in an emergency, when such pumps are inoperable, are capable of supplying potable water from the public water main to the building utilizing only the available pressure from the public water main.
This is a retroactive requirement for all existing buildings with 5 or more stories. These buildings will have to comply by December 2021.