Association News

NATION Report Identifies Successful RME Characteristics

The Water Environment Research Foundation funded research that identified business characteristics common among 15 successful Responsible Management Entities. The 72-page report, Business Attributes of Successful Responsible Management Entities, provides guidance to businesses and organizations interested in becoming RMEs.

Certification through recognized training courses topped the authors’ list of commonalities. Successful RMEs are certified in operation, maintenance, and inspection. They limit the type of systems they operate to three or fewer to simplify construction, operation, and maintenance, minimizing inventories on spare parts and training requirements.

Successful RMEs have a long-term financial plan, a strategy for growth, enough money to be self-sufficient, a sustainable monthly charge, and an independent financial advisor. Most RMEs grow their way to financial viability. The sustainable monthly fee must cover all costs, yet one common mistake was equating cost with only operation and maintenance. Long-term management also includes sampling and testing, replacing failed mechanical equipment, and more.

The report confirms that RMEs can’t operate unless the public accepts the need for long-term maintenance and is willing to pay for it. Visit www.ndwrcdp.org/publications/index.htm.

MARYLAND Behind the Times

An article in the summer newsletter of the Maryland Onsite Wastewater Professional Association identifies the state’s 25-year-old septic regulations as the largest impediment preventing use of advanced onsite technology.

The second greatest issue is industry workers with inadequate training. According to the article, any plumber, contractor, or backhoe operator can obtain an installer permit without demonstrating competency or providing training documentation.

The association is pursuing a state-mandated educational program. It proposes three certification categories: Designer, Installer, and Operator/Maintenance/Service Provider. Training would be required in conventional gravity systems, advanced pretreatment systems, sand mounds and pressurized systems, and drip systems.

MICHIGAN CSE Photocopies to DEQ

According to the Michigan Septic Tank Association, the state Department of Environmental Quality is asking haulers to submit photocopies of all earned Continuing Septage Education credits since the 2005 Waste Water Conference.

The agency will post the credits online for review, as each hauler’s 30-credit-hour requirement for license renewal will be based on this information. If the DEQ doesn’t receive the credits by the hauler’s renewal date, that person may face an interruption in business while the situation is reviewed.

The renewal date for most haulers is Jan. 1, 2010. The DEQ must receive the CSE credits by Dec. 31, 2009. For new haulers, the renewal date is five years from the date on the septage hauler license. Credits earned above the 30-hour requirement do not carry over. Haulers need 30 credits per five-year renewal period. Members can retrieve credits earned from attending MSTA-hosted classes at www.msta.biz.

WASHINGTON Radio Program Links Onsite Pros, Consumers

Operation and maintenance programs and a State of Washington mandate to inspect gravity systems every three years and pump them annually prompted numerous homeowners to call the Washington On-Site Sewage Association. “They are looking for information on how this will affect them and asking for names of service providers,” says WOSSA president Jeannie Yackley.

The volume of calls led the organization to develop a 60-minute radio talk show expected to reach 250,000 listeners in Washington. Septic Solutions discusses the care, maintenance, and installation of onsite systems, urban myths and legislative issues. WOSSA assembled advertising and program partnerships to help underwrite the $40,000 it costs to broadcast the program for 26 weeks. Call Jeannie Yackley at 253/770-6594 for more information.

To combat fuel costs, WOSSA is bringing more fall and winter training classes to its members, instead of having them travel to the training center in Puyallup.

The summer WOSSA newsletter reported that several members have had fuel stolen. One company had more than 200 gallons siphoned from a truck. When thieves found locking gas caps on vehicles at another company, they returned with a small tanker, cut the fuel lines on three trucks, and siphoned nearly 1,000 gallons.

Training & Education

Flooded Onsite Systems

The University of Minnesota Water Resources Center published the Fact Sheet, What to do with your private onsite wastewater treatment system after a flood. Installers may share it with customers. It’s a free download at http://commerce.wi.gov/SBdocs/SB-PowtsFlood.pdf.

Sewage Biosolids

The Ontario Biosolids Utilization Committee posted Sewage Biosolids: A Valuable Nutrient Source, which explains how recycling the waste benefits farmers and society. The 8-page paper concludes with a list of Web sites to other biosolids agencies and sources for more information on using biosolids as a crop fertilizer. Go to www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/nm/nasm.html.

Septic Systems and Source Water Protection

The summer issue of Pipeline, from the National Environmental Services Center, tells homeowners how to care for their onsite systems and protect their community’s water quality. The document is a free download at www.nesc.wvu.edu.

Soils Course

The Wisconsin Department of Commerce Safety and Buildings is offering a course on Describing Soil Profiles and Recording Site Data on Oct. 10 at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Marinette. Call Jean Joyce at 608/267-7113.

WJTA Offers Vacuum Safety Seminar

The WaterJet Technology Association will present “Safe Operation of Industrial Vacuum Equipment” on Oct. 16 at the Clarion Hotel in Atlantic City, N.J. The seminar will teach contractors how to get the most out of their industrial vacuum equipment by maximizing safety and enhancing production. The seminar combines classroom training, a step-by-step overview of vacuum trucks and components using wet, dry and combo machines on site, and “ask the experts” roundtable sessions.

Vactor/Guzzler’s Phil Stein will review industrial vacuum loaders. Topics will range from operation to potential problems and safety issues. Gary Toothe, training manager for Thompson Industrial Services LLC, will cover job setup, maximizing production on the jobsite, problems with mixing materials and case studies. Ravel Ammerman, a lecturer at the Colorado School of Mines, will discuss electrical hazards. For more information, call 314/241-1445; e-mail wjta@wjta.org, or visit www.wjta.org.

NAWT Training

The National Association of Wastewater Transporters has scheduled these sessions:

• Oct. 14 – Inspector Recertification Training, Holiday Inn, Casa Grande, Ariz. Contact Kitt Farrell-Poe at 928/782-3836; kittfp@ag.arizona.edu.

• Oct. 23-24 – Inspector Training and Certification, Fresno, Calif. Call 707/579-4882.

• Nov. 12-13 – Operation and Maintenance Part 2, Mill Valley, Calif. Call 707/579-4882.

• Dec. 9 – Vacuum Truck Training, Riviera Hotel, Las Vegas, Nev. Call NAWT at 800/236-6298 or visit www.nawt.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 unless stated otherwise:

• Oct. 16-17 – Pumpers

• Oct. 29-30 – Continuing Education, Mobile

• Nov. 12-14 – Basic Installer

• Dec. 4-5 – Continuing Education

• Dec. 10-12 – Advanced Installer Level 2

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.

• Oct. 8 – Soils, Central Calif.

• Oct. 23-24 – Inspector Training and Certification, Fresno

• Nov. 12-13 – Operation and Maintenance Part 2, Mill Valley

Call Cliff Trammel at 707/579-4882.

Iowa

The Iowa Onsite Wastewater Training Center at Ankeny has these courses:

• Oct. 16 – Media Filters with Installation Demo

• Nov. 20 – Program Management with Rules

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:

• Oct. 8-9 – Existing Systems Evaluator Training

• Oct. 29-30 – Soils

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

Minnesota

The University of Minnesota Extension has these hands-on workshops:

• Oct. 21-24 – Service Provider Precertification, Mankato

• Nov. 18-19 – Installer Continuing Education, St. Cloud

• Nov. 19 – Pipelayer Certification, St. Cloud

• Dec. 2-3 – General Continuing Education, Brainerd

• Dec. 12 – Troubleshooting, Owatonna

• Dec. 17-18 – General Continuing Education, Mankato

Call Nick Haig at 800/322-8642 (612/625-9797) or visit http://septic.umn.edu.

Missouri

The Department of Health and Senior Services is offering these CEU courses:

• Oct. 7-8 – Troubleshooting and Hydraulics, West Plains

• Oct. 21-22 – Lagoons and Drainfields/Curtain Drains, Camdenton

• Oct. 28-29 – Lagoons and Drainfields/Curtain Drains, Moberly

• Nov. 4-5 – Troubleshooting and Hydraulics, Joplin

• Nov. 17-18 – Drip and Pumps/Panels/Electrical, Liberty

• Dec. 2-3 – Lagoons and Drainfields/Curtain Drains, Springfield

• Dec. 9-10 – Operation and Maintenance, Warrenton

• Dec. 16-17 – Lagoons and Drainfields/Curtain Drains, Ironton

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

Nebraska

The Cooperative Extension at the University of Nebraska is offering these certified courses for CEUs:

• Oct. 15 – Extension Pumps and Controls, Norfolk

• Oct. 16 – Extension Dosed Systems, Norfolk

• Nov. 19 – Extensions Pumps and Controls, Grand Island

• Nov. 20 – Extension Dosed Systems, Grand Island

• Dec. 10 – Extension Pumps and Controls, Mead

Call the Nebraska Onsite Waste Water Association at 402/476-0162 or the university at 402/472-9614.

North Carolina

North Carolina Soils and On-Site Wastewater Training Academy is offering these courses at Raleigh unless stated otherwise:

• Oct. 8 – Onsite System Layouts, Pittsboro

• Oct. 9 – Principles of Gravity System Design, Pittsboro

• Oct. 15 – Inspector Field Practicum, Jacksonville

• Oct. 15 – Soil Structure, Asheboro

• Oct. 15 – Installing Pump Systems, Greensboro

• Oct. 16 – Installing Advanced Systems, Greensboro

• Oct. 16 – Inspector Field Practicum, Greenville

• Oct. 16 – Matching the System to the Site, Asheboro

• Oct. 17 – Soils of the Triassic Basin, Pittsboro

• Oct. 22 – Applications for Drip Irrigation Technology, Mills River

• Oct. 23 – Drip System O & M, Mills River

• Oct. 24 – Soils of the Lower Mountains, Mills River

• Oct. 29 – Soils of the Upper Mountains, Laurel Springs

• Oct. 30 – Matching the System to the Site, Laurel Springs

• Nov. 5-7 – Subsurface Wastewater Operator, Plymouth

• Nov. 12 – Soil Texture, Monroe

• Nov. 12 – Onsite System Layouts, Boone

• Nov. 13 – Pump System Design, Boone

• Nov. 13 – Redoximorphic Features, Soil Wetness and Water Table Relationships, Monroe

• Nov. 14 – Pumps and Controls, Monroe

• Nov. 18-19 – Onsite Wastewater System Inspector, Plymouth

• Nov. 20 – Inspector Field Practicum, Plymouth

• Dec. 1 – Flow Equalization and Timed Dosing

• Dec. 2 – Pump System Design

• Dec. 2 – Low Pressure Pipe System Design

• Dec. 9-10 – Drip Dispersal Design for N.C. Proprietary Systems

• Dec. 11 – Large Drip Dispersal System Designs

• Dec. 12 – Soils of the Outer Banks, Manteo

• Dec. 17 – Remote Systems, Greensboro

• Dec. 18 – Basic System Troubleshooting, Greensboro

Call Joni Tanner at 919/513-1678 or visit www.soil.ncsu.edu/training.

Rhode Island

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

• Oct. 16 – Innovative and Alternative Systems Field Tour

• Nov. 6 – Designer Examination Prep

• Nov. 20 – AutoCALCS – Automated BSF Sizing, Pump Calculations and Support Materials

• Dec. 4 – Regulatory Setbacks and Buffers

• Dec. 18 – Nitrogen Dynamics in the Environment and Onsite Wastewater Systems

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 unless stated otherwise.

• Oct. 12-15 – A to Z of Onsite Wastewater, Blacksburg, (VOWRA)

• Oct. 12-15 – Soils, Blacksburg, (VOWRA)

• Oct. 14-15 – Construction Inspection

• Oct. 23-24 – Understanding Water Movement in Soils

• Oct. 28-29 – Construction Inspection

• Nov. 19-20 – Effluent Dispersal Systems

• Dec. 10-11 – Wastewater 101

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

Calendar

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 Conference Center, Dover. Call Ken Walsh at 302/381-6516 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.

Nov. 11-12

Trenchless Road Show, Turf Valley Resort, Baltimore, Md. Call Michelle Magyar at 330/467-7588 or visit www.trenchlessroadshow.com.

Nov. 12-13

North East Residuals & Biosolids Conference & Exhibit, Nashua, N.H. Call Ned Beecher at 603/323-7654 or visit www.newea.org.

Dec. 4-5

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

Dec. 8-9

NOWRA Installer Academy, Riviera Hotel, Las Vegas, Nev. Call 800/966-2942 or visit www.nowra.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 Complex, Des Moines. Call 515/225-1051 or visit www.iowwa.com.

Jan. 13-15

Ohio Onsite Wastewater Association Conference and Trade Show, Ramada Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, Columbus. Call 866/843-4429 or visit www.ohioonsite.org.

Jan. 19-21

Missouri Smallflows Organization Conference and Exhibition, Holiday Inn Select, Columbia. Call 417/739-4100 or visit www.mosmallflows.org.

Jan. 22-24

Alberta Onsite Wastewater Management Association Conference, Deerfoot Inn and Casino, Calgary. Call 780/489-7471 or visit www.aowma.com.

Jan. 23-24

Washington Onsite Sewage Association Conference, Vancouver. Call John Thomas at 253/297-2837 or visit www.wossa.org.

Jan. 26-28

North Carolina Septic Tank Association Conference and Exposition, Hickory Metro Convention Center, Hickory. Call Doug Lassiter at 336/345-8357 or visit www.ncsta.net.

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.

Feb. 11-12

Nebraska Onsite Waste Water Association Conference. Call Lee Orton at 402/476-0162 or visit www.nowwa.org.

Feb. 14-15

Utah On-Site Wastewater Association Conference, Expo Center, West Valley City. Call Carmell Burns at 435/797-3174 or visit http://uwrl.usu.edu/partnership/training/uowa.html.

Feb. 25-28

Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo International, Kentucky Exposition Center, Louisville, Ky. Call 800/257-7222 or visit www.pumpershow.com.