Association News

MISSOURI Onsite Troubleshooting Form

The Missouri Smallflows Organization has a residential survey form for troubleshooting onsite problems in its online April newsletter. The 34 questions cover laundry habits, cooking preferences, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, water usage and system maintenance. Download it at www.mosmallflows.org/newsletters/2008-4w.pdf.

NORTH CAROLINA New Water Softener Study

A preliminary study by researchers at North Carolina State University found spikes in sodium and chlorine in septic tanks that receive backwash from salt-regenerated water softeners. The Water Quality Association, representing water treatment dealers, and the National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association funded the study of 13 homes in a North Carolina community.

The main value of the research, says team leader Nancy Deal, is that it helped identify which variables determine onsite failures. WQA and NOWRA will plan a full study after agreeing to protocols established by the university team and locating funding.

WISCONSIN WOWRA Funds Pharmaceutical Research

The Wisconsin Onsite Water Recycling Association has earmarked $3,500 to support research examining the prevalence of pharmaceuticals in water, wastewater, and soils around septic and mound systems.

Throughout the summer, Joe Piatt, associate professor of chemistry and environmental science at Carroll College in Waukesha, Wis., will sample 12 residential onsite systems to determine if anecdotal reports from pumpers are correct. They state that homes with high pharmaceutical use significantly degrade the bacteria’s ability to process waste in the septic tank, which in turn affects the drainfield.

WOWRA is asking members and others to contribute another $3,500 to help stay on the forefront of the research affecting the industry. Mail checks, payable to WOWRA, to 16 N. Carroll St., Suite 900, Madison, WI 53703.

Training & Education

Septic Tank Education

The University of Alaska-Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service is developing an educational campaign for communities on Kenai Peninsula, targeting real estate agents and landowners who have not owned onsite systems before.

The program includes workshops, flyers, and TV and radio commercials. The Extension Service will partner with the Kenai government and the Department of Environmental Conservation to develop the program, which may be used in other areas of the state. Contact Fred Sorensen at 907/786-6311.

Pump Information

The Sump and Sewage Pump Manufacturers Association has publications about Sizing Guidelines for New or Replacement Sewage Pumps and Recommended Installation and Maintenance for Sewage Pumps. Installers also may purchase a pocket-size calculator to determine the required sewage pump capacity, total dynamic head, and basin size.

The 32-page Recommended Guidelines for Sizing Effluent Pumps provides general and technical information about pump selection and sizing. It also covers types of onsite treatment systems, design of distribution fields, and sizing for enhanced-flow STEP and low-pressure pipe systems. An appendix contains installation drawings and sizing tables. Order at www.sspma.org/pubs/index.html.

Ohio Vendors Day Training Program

The Ohio Onsite Wastewater Association is sponsoring its first Vendors Day at the Roberts Conference Centre in Wilmington. A Sewage Rule Updates Workshop presented by the Ohio Department of Health on Thursday, July 31, is for installers, service providers, septage haulers and pumpers.

The basic and advanced level exams for the NEHA Certified Installer of Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems credential also will be given that day. Vendors Day on Friday, Aug. 1, enables groups of 10 to 12 people to spend 30 minutes with each of 12 manufacturers, who will present educational information on one product. Call 866/843-4429 or visit www.ohioonsite.org/vendorsday.html.

National Association of Wastewater Transporters Inc.

NAWT has scheduled these training sessions:

• July 17-18 – Operation and Maintenance Training, northern California; Call 707/579-4882; www.cowa.org.

• Aug. 6-7 – Operation and Maintenance Training, central California. Call 707/579-4882; www.cowa.org.

• Aug. 26-27 – Inspector Training and Certification, Tucson, Ariz. Contact Kitt Farrell-Poe at 928/782-3836; kittfp@ag.arizona.edu.

• Sept. 9 – Vacuum Truck Technician Training, Holiday Inn at Six Flags, Eureka, Mo. Call NAWT at 800/236-6298 or visit www.nawt.org.

• Sept. 18-19 – Operation and Maintenance Training, southern California. Call 707/579-4882; www.cowa.org.

• Oct. 14 – Inspector Training and Certification, Tucson, Ariz.; Contact Kitt Farrell-Poe at 928/782-3836; kittfp@ag.arizona.edu.

• Oct. 23-24 – Inspector Training and Certification, central California. Call 707/579-4882; www.cowa.org.

• Nov. 5-6 – Operation and Maintenance Training, northern California. Call 707/579-4882; www.cowa.org.

Alabama

Licensing classes are the joint effort of the Alabama Onsite Wastewater Association and University of West Alabama. Courses are at UWA’s Livingston campus:

• Aug. 7-8 – Continuing Education

• Sept. 3-5 – Advanced Installer Level 1

Call Allen Tartt 205/652-3803 or visit www.aowatc.uwa.edu.

California

Certification courses are sponsored by the California Onsite Wastewater Association and NAWT.

• July 17-18 – Operation and Maintenance, Part 1

• Aug. 6-7 – Operation and Maintenance, Part 2

• Sept. 18-19 – Operation and Maintenance, Part 1

Call Cliff Trammel at 707/579-4882 or visit www.cowa.org.

Florida

Courses are at the Florida Onsite Wastewater Association’s Training Center in Polk City unless stated otherwise.

• July 8 – Master IV-Design Considerations and Dosing Systems, Jacksonville

• July 9 – Master IV-Design Considerations and Dosing Systems, Tallahassee

• July 15 – Septage and Grease in Florida, Sarasota

• Aug. 7 – Enhanced Nutrient Reduction, southeast Florida (TBD)

• Aug. 18-19 – Master III-Basic Florida Soils

• Aug. 20-21 – Master I-System Design and Function

• Aug. 21-22 – Master II-System Materials and Regulation Requirement

• Aug. 25 – Aerobic Treatment Units, Part I

• Aug. 26 – Aerobic Treatment Units, Part II

• Aug. 27 – Artificial Media Treatment Technologies

• Aug. 28 – Natural Media Treatment Technologies

• Aug. 29 – What’s New at the Training Center?

Contact FOWA at 407/830-4381 or www.fowaonsite.com.

Iowa

The Iowa Onsite Wastewater Training Center at Ankeny offers a course on At-Grade and Mounds on Aug. 21. Call Annette Adams at 800/362-2127, ext. 6464 or e-mail Dennis Hayworth at dahayworth@ dmacc.edu.

Michigan

The Michigan Onsite Wastewater Training and Education Center at MSU Tollgate Center in Novi is offering these courses:

• Aug. 12-13 – Existing Systems Evaluator Training

• Aug. 20 – Pumped Systems Evaluator Training

Contact Barb DeLong at 517/355-4720 or visit www.egr.msu.edu/age, then Extension & Outreach.

Missouri

The Department of Health and Senior Services is offering the following training professional CEU courses:

• July 15-16 – Drip and Pumps/Panels/Electrical, Branson

• July 22-23 – Operation and Maintenance, Poplar Bluff

• Aug. 19-20 – Troubleshooting and Hydraulics, Clinton

• Aug. 26-27 – Drip and Pumps/Panels/Electrical, Springfield

• Sept. 9-10 – Troubleshooting and Hydraulics, Cape Girardeau

Call Terri at 417/739-4100 or visit www.mosmallflows.org.

North Carolina

North Carolina Soils and On-Site Wastewater Training Academy is offering the following courses:

• July 16 – Installation of Pump Systems, Williamston

• July 17 – Installation of Advanced Systems, Williamston

• July 18 – Installer/Inspector Exam, Williamston

• Sept. 16-18 – Subsurface Wastewater Operator Training, Bolivia

Call Joni Tanner at 919/515-1678 or visit www.soil.ncsu.edu/training.

Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Septage Management Association offers the following training:

• July 16-17 – Advanced Onlot Wastewater Treatment System Inspection, Chester County

• July 16-17 – Basic Onlot Wastewater Treatment System Inspection, Bordentown

• Sept. 17-18 – Basic Onlot Wastewater Treatment System Inspection, Williamsport, Pa., or West Chester, N.J.

• Sept. 24-25 – Basic Onlot Wastewater Treatment System Inspection, Apollo

New Jersey Septage Management Association members qualify for PSMA member tuition fees. Call Jackie at 610/350-0590, press 3, or visit http://psma.net.

Rhode Island

The University of Rhode Island’s Onsite Wastewater Training Center offers these professional development workshops at its Kingston campus:

• July 10 – Innovative and Alternative Systems Field Tour

• July 15 – Surveying Techniques for the Wastewater Professional

• July 17 – Microbiology for Wastewater Professionals

• July 30-31 – Advanced Soil Morphology: Understanding wet soil conditions (contact Mark Stolt)

• Aug. 7 – Surveying Basics for the Onsite Wastewater Contractor

• Sept. 4 – Conventional Onsite Wastewater Treatment Basics for Installers

• Sept. 10 – Innovative and Alternative Technology Overview

Call Holly Meehan at 401/874-5950 or Mark Stolt, when directed, at 401/874-2915 or visit www.uri.edu/ce/wq.

Virginia

The following courses by the Virginia Center for Onsite Wastewater Training and Southside Virginia Community College are in Blackstone.

• July 16-17 – Effluent Dispersal Systems

• July 23-24 – Basic Installation Practices for Conventional/Pump OWTS, Virginia Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association

• Aug. 5-6 – National Operations and Maintenance Training, VOWRA

• Aug. 12-13 – Designing with Easy/Fast CAD

For VCOWT classes, contact Debbie Campbell at 434/736-2011 or visit www.southside.edu/programs/wastetreat. For VOWRA courses, contact Trapper Davis at 804/966-9190 or visit www.vowra.org.

Calendar

Aug. 8-9

Georgia Onsite Wastewater Association Annual Meeting, Unicoi State Park and Lodge, Helen. Call 770/817-4692 or visit www.onsitewastewater.org.

Aug. 22-23

Wisconsin Liquid Waste Carriers Association Summer Convention, Radisson Paper Valley Hotel, Appleton. Call 608/255-2770 or visit www.wlwca.com.

Sept. 10-11

Septage/Grease Trap Waste Treatment Symposium, Holiday Inn at Six Flags, Eureka, Mo. Call 800/236-6298 or visit www.nawt.org.

Oct. 12-15

Virginia Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association Conference and Trade Show, Blacksburg. Call Trapper Davis at 804/966-9190 or visit www.vowra.org.

Oct. 14-15

Delaware Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association Conference and Exhibition, Dover Downs Hotel and Casino, Dover. Call 302/739-9331 or visit www.dowra.org.

Oct. 23-26

Ontario Association of Sewage Industry Services Conference and Exposition, Best Western Conference Centre, Orillia. Call Don Kelloway at 877/202-0082 or visit www.oasisontario.on.ca.

Nov. 5-9

Portable Sanitation Association International Convention & Trade Show, Hilton Hotel Ocean Beach and Ocean Center Exhibit Hall, Daytona Beach, Fla. Call 800/822-3020 or visit www.psai.org.

Dec. 4-5

Kentucky Onsite Wastewater Association Conference, Sloan Convention Center, Bowling Green. Call 270/715-0043 or visit www.kentuckyonsite.org.

Jan. 8-10, 2009

Michigan Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association Conference and Exhibit, Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, East Lansing. Call Chanin Frank at 989/773-6985, ext. 258 or visit www.mowra.org.

Jan. 13-14

Iowa Onsite Waste Water Association Conference, Polk County Convention Center, Des Moines. Call 515/225-1051 or visit www.iowwa.com.

Jan. 13-15

Michigan Onsite Wastewater Conference, Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, East Lansing. Many sessions count for required CEU hours. Call Mark Scott at 989/275-5011 or e-mail mscott@i2k.com.

Jan. 19-21

Missouri Smallflows Organization Conference and Exhibition,

Holiday Inn Select, Columbia. Call 417/739-4100 or visit www.mosmallflows.org.

Jan. 30-31

Wisconsin Liquid Waste Carriers Association and Wisconsin Onsite Water Recycling Association Joint Convention, Marriott West Hotel, Madison. Call 608/255-2770 or visit www.wowra.com.