I hope you’re reading this on your way to Louisville, Ky., for the National Association of Wastewater Transporters Inc. two-day onsite inspector training course or operation and maintenance course on Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 28-March 1. We’re also offering the one-day vacuum truck technician training course on Tuesday. They all precede the Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo International March 2-5 at the Kentucky Exposition Center.
The inspector course is at the operation level. The first day covers the basics of sewage treatment and system types using a troubleshooting perspective. The second day goes through a step-by-step procedure to conduct a system inspection. It requires attendees to locate and identify all parts of the system, assess their condition, and determine if they are operating properly. The inspection course is a prerequisite for the operation and maintenance course.
The O & M course concentrates on operation and maintenance of aerobic tanks, single-pass and recirculating media filters, and chlorination or ultraviolet light disinfection. Sessions also include maintenance of drip irrigation systems and proper installation of pump stations. Both courses have field opportunities Tuesday morning and a written exam for NAWT certification.
NAWT’s vacuum truck technician training course is for new owners and employees who operate vacuum trucks to clean septic tanks, aerobic treatment units, holding tanks or grease traps. It can also serve as a refresher course and overview for experienced operators. Training includes presentations, videos and hands-on exercises with a vacuum truck.
The course includes basic vacuum truck operation, materials to pump and avoid, reasons to manage these materials, pumps, basic science of vacuum and pressurization, truck equipment and components, drive and control mechanisms, basic and advanced pump-out skills and procedures, loading and unloading, safety and emergency response plans, customer interaction and education, manifests and reports, and government regulations. NAWT will list all certified service providers on its website: www.nawt.org.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE MEETING
The NAWT Education Committee will meet with our trainers and those who would like to become trainers 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, March 1, in Room B109. Anyone who is interested in learning about our education program or commenting on it is also invited to attend. We welcome the opportunity to come face-to-face with our educational representatives.
EDUCATION DAY
NAWT has a full track of six one-hour sessions during Education Day at the Expo, Wednesday, March 2. The seminars focus on topics related to treating high-strength waste streams, troubleshooting drip distribution systems and O & M problems.
Seminar titles and presenters are: So You Think You Want to Own a Waste Treatment Facility, Tom Frank, Tim Frank Septic Tank Cleaning Co., Huntsburg, Ohio; Grease as a Resource, Tom Ferrero, NAWT executive director; Resource Recovery: Methane and Septage, Kit Rosefield, Accredited Septic Monitoring, Mi Wuk Village, Calif.; O & M Problems on Drip Distribution Systems, Bruce Lesikar, Ph.D., P.E., Texas A & M University; and O & M Problems with Media Filters, Dave Gustafson, P.E., University of Minnesota.
INSTALLER COURSE
On Thursday, March 3, COLE Publishing teams with us to offer the NAWT installer course at the Expo. Presented by Jim Anderson, Ph.D., and Dave Gustafson, the sessions will cover introduction and site evaluation, system sizing and basic design principles, pumping to systems, installing ATUs, installing for management, and troubleshooting systems. NAWT-certified inspectors may use this course to satisfy continuing education requirements.
If you are interested in attending these courses and haven’t registered, call the NAWT office at 800/236-6298. We almost always have space available. The installer course is included in your Pumper & Cleaner Expo registration fee. NAWT courses are $395 each for members and $495 for nonmembers. The NAWT membership fee is $150.
In addition to those courses, we sponsor training across the country by working with state associations and other industry-related groups. To bring a NAWT course to your area, call Tom Ferrero at 800/236-6298 or e-mail info@nawt.org. Check www.nawt.org for the latest updates on our training programs and seminars.
