Leading by example in New Mexico

With no state funding available for replacement onsite systems, the Professional Onsite Wastewater Reuse Association of New Mexico began an annual Christmas Septic Giveaway program that happens any time of year.

Working with Dennis McQuillan, the state's environment department liquid waste program manager, and liquid waste specialist James Vincent, the board of directors selected a low-income family that was about to have the water to their home shut off because of overflowing sewage.

Donations were made by Buck Saunders of Dahl Plumbing in Santa Fe and Taos, Eric Berquist of Infiltrator Systems (EZflow geosynthetic aggregate) and Eugene Bassett of EC Bassett Construction in Edgewood (risers and materials).

Installers and equipment were provided by Ralph Dotson of AAA Allied Septic Service in Sante Fe; Shawn Benavidez of Rio Grande Septic in Rio Rancho, and E.C. Bassett, Fred and Kevin Richardson of Richardson Excavating and Trenching in Santa Fe. McQuillan also helped with
the installation.

The association will work with the Environment Department to secure money for a state indigent fund, while members heighten awareness of the number of poor families with septic problems.

ONTARIO, CANADA

Wastewater washing machine

The spring Ontario Onsite Wastewater Association newsletter had an article on Great Lakes Clean Water of Mississauga, Ontario. The company's engineers, wanting to reduce disinfection byproducts, volatile organic compounds and pharmaceuticals in effluent discharging to drainfields, created the WATERCLEAN treatment system.

Based on a closed-loop batch reactor, the system has a fill cycle, wash cycle using ozone, and discharge cycle. The equipment includes a compressor, oxygen concentrator, ozone generator, multistage centrifugal pump, ozone injection, flash mixing and extended treatment conduit including a restrictor/diffuser/degasser sparger (bubbles gas through a liquid), a reactor tank, an off-gas/ozone destruct arrangement and a diverter valve. A programmable system controller regulates the system.

When used with an onsite system, the treatment process takes in and compresses air, removes and concentrates the oxygen, generates and injects ozone into the wastewater, flash mixes, pressurizes, diffuses and degasses it. The process continues for five to 30 minutes depending on the influent quality and desired effluent.

The system, going through the second round of performance testing after significant redesign, produces effluent with less than 5 mg/L CBOD5, TSS and total nitrogen, and less than 1 mg/L total phosphorus. Residential units process 800 to 3,000 gpd and mobile units process 260 gpd. Visit
www.waterclean.ca.

MASSACHUSETTS

Performance evaluation

The Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center, operated by the Barnstable County Department of Health and the Environment, is studying the effectiveness of remediation products. Since June 2011, the center has been creating biomats with ponding in pipe-in-stone trenches 2-by-1-by-30 feet long.

The one-year study, begun in April, tests the ability of aerator/microbial enhancements, air applied to soil horizon technologies and microbial additions to restore hydraulic function to marginally failed leaching trenches. Manufacturers supplied the products. The center will report the results to the state Department of Environmental Protection. Visit
www.masstc.org.

MINNESOTA

Registered septic tanks

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency posted a listing of all septic tanks permitted for installation in the state at www.pca.state.mn.us. The At A Glance List has 49 manufacturers, 14 of which are fully registered with 380 tank models. Thirty-five manufacturers are in the process of tank registration.

NATION

Green jobs

Septic service and portable sanitation are considered green jobs, according to a March 2012 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report. Based on figures from 2010, the 13,313 technicians joined workers in merchandise stores (106,865), waste collection (116,293), school and employee bus transportation (160,896), leisure and hospitality (22,510), office furniture sales (14,888), radio and television broadcasting (9,297), fruit and tree nut farming (12,176) and social advocacy organizations (20,704).

Alabama

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

• Sept. 13-14 – Continuing Education Class, Florence

• Sept. 19-21 – Basic Installer Class

• Oct. 4-5 – Pumpers Class

• Oct. 10-12 – Advanced Installer I Class

• Oct. 25-26 – Continuing Education Class, Mobile

The first day of Continuing Education classes is for installers and the second day is for pumpers and portable restroom operators. Call 205/652-3803 or visit http://aowatc.uwa.edu.

Arizona

The University of Arizona Onsite Wastewater Education Program has a Soil and Site Evaluation for Onsite Systems class Oct. 8-9 in Tucson. Contact Kitt Farrell-Poe at 520/621-7221, kittfp@ag.arizona.edu or http://ag.arizona.edu/waterquality/onsite.

Georgia

The University of Georgia's Center for Urban Agriculture is offering Onsite Wastewater Management classes on:

• Sept. 7 – Dalton

• Sept. 21 – Macon

• Sept. 28 – Athens

• Oct. 5 – Dublin

• Oct. 12 – Albany

• Oct. 26 – Valdosta

Call 770/229-3477, email conteduc@uga.edu or visit www.uga
urbanag.com.

Iowa

The Iowa Onsite Wastewater Association has an Educating Homeowners/How to Prepare for Future Upgrade course Oct. 26 in Grimes. Contact Alice Vinsand at 515/225-1051, execdir@iowwa.com or visit
www.iowwa.com.

Minnesota

The University of Minnesota Water Resources Center has these classes:

• Sept. 6 – Sampling, Cloquet

• Sept. 13 – Soils Continuing Education, Iron Mountain

• Sept. 25-27 – Advanced Design and Inspection of Onsite Systems,
Part 1, Mankato

• Oct. 2 – Soils Continuing Education, Red Wing

• Oct. 23-26 – Advanced Design and Inspection of Onsite Systems,
Part 2, Mankato

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

Missouri

The Smallflows Organization has these CEU courses:

• Sept. 12 – Media Filters, Mt. Vernon

• Sept. 13 – Earthen Structures, Mt. Vernon

• Sept. 25-26 – Operations and Maintenance, Camdenton

• Oct. 17 – Aerated Treatment Units, St. Louis

• Oct. 18 – Hydraulics, St. Louis

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

Nebraska

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension has state-approved Operations and Maintenance courses on:

• Sept. 7 - Scottsbluff

• Oct. 11 - Wayne

Call 402/472-9390 or visit www.deq.state.ne.us/WasteWat.nsf/pages/OnsitePDH.

New England

The New England Onsite Wastewater Training Center at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston has these courses:

• Sept. 6 – Conventional Onsite Wastewater Treatment Basics
for Installers

• Sept. 13 – Innovative and Alternative Technologies

• Sept. 19 – Conventional Onsite Wastewater System Inspection

• Sept. 19-20 – Conventional Onsite Wastewater System Inspection
and Field Training

• Sept. 27 – Innovative and Alternative Technology Field Training,
Peckham Farm

• Oct. 4 – Bottomless Sand Filter Design and Installation

• Oct. 11 – Functional Inspections

Call 401/874-5950 or visit www.uri.edu/ce/wq. For soil courses, call Mark Stolt at 401/874-2915 or email mstolt@uri.edu.

North Carolina

North Carolina State University has the following courses:

• Sept. 11 – Introductory Installer, Mills River

• Sept. 18 – Subsurface Wastewater System Operator, Mills River

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

The North Carolina Pumper Group and Portable Toilet Group have an educational seminar Sept. 22 in Asheville. Call Joe McClees at 252/249-1097 or visit www.ncpumpergroup.org or www.ncportabletoiletgroup.org.

North Carolina Septic Tank Association has the following classes:

• Sept. 10-11 – Installer/Inspector, Swansboro

• Oct. 8-9 – Installer/Inspector, Hickory

• Oct. 24-25 – Installer/Inspector, Greensboro

• Oct. 26 – Pumper/Land Application, Greensboro

Call 336/416-3565 or visit www.ncsta.net.

Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Septage Management Association is offering the Basic and Advanced Onlot Wastewater Treatment System Inspection course Sept. 11-12 at Montoursville. Call 717/763-7762 or visit www.psma.net.

Utah

Utah State University has these On-Site Wastewater Treatment Certification renewal workshops:

• Sept. 6 – Level 3, Logan

• Sept. 24-26 – Level 1, Vernal

• Sept. 27 – Level 2, Vernal

• Oct. 3-4 – Level 2, Logan

• Oct. 23-25 – Level 3, Logan

Call Ivonne Harris at 435/797-3693 or visit http://uwrl.usu.edu/partnerships/training/classes.html.

Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association has a Private Onsite Wastewater Treatment System Evaluator Certification course Aug. 16-17 at the Lakewoods Resort in Cable. The course carries 16 CEUs. Call 608/441-1436 or visit www.wowra.com.