Published December 2007
Association News
By Scottie Dayton (page 140)
News from NOWRA, NSF International, Ontario, and Wisconsin.
NATION
NOWRA Workshops Guide Regulators
After completing the Model Code Framework for the Decentralized Wastewater Infrastructure, the National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association is conducting workshops for regulators on how to understand and use the document to evaluate, revise, or develop onsite codes.
The workshops also are valuable for designers, engineers, and anyone working in the industry. Breakout sessions are structured with examples of specific issues to discuss, enabling participants to address those situations. Visit www.modelcode.org for dates and locations of future workshops.
The annual NOWRA conference is April 7-10 at the Cook Convention Center, Memphis, Tenn. Its theme is Past, Present & Future: Water’s Value is a Constant. Attendees will receive professional education in onsite wastewater practices and skills and take part in sessions on research projects, federal and state regulations, and policies affecting the industry. Visit www.nowra.org.
New Testing Protocol
NSF International has developed a new protocol to test the effectiveness of equipment that separates solids from liquids in septic tanks, or grease and solids from liquids in grease traps. The protocol contains requirements to evaluate the materials, design, manufacturing, and performance of the devices. The system must:
• Be designed to return treated water to the septic tank or grease trap being serviced to prevent cross-contamination.
• Provide mechanical filtration.
• Be designed so that the treatment process cannot be modified or altered by an operator.
• Operate without the use of added chemicals.
The filtered liquids returned to the tank must meet specific requirements for pH and temperature, total suspended solids, and oil and grease concentration. Additional requirements include corrosion resistance, biochemical oxygen demand, structural integrity and annual facility audits.
ONTARIO
Mass Pumping of Entire Neighborhoods Planned
The fall newsletter from the Ontario Association of Sewage Industry Services reports that some municipalities in Nova Scotia are starting a program that coordinates pumping of all septic tanks in an entire neighborhood at once. The province has more than 150,000 septic tanks serving 45 percent of the population.
The initiative is partly in response to more than 5,000 applications for new onsite systems the Department of Environmental and Labour receives yearly. Homeowners pay their municipal council for a portion of the value of the pumping service each year. In return, the tanks in their neighborhood are pumped every three years. The cost to homeowners is the same, or less, than arranging for pumping as needed.
The plan also proposes using Norwegian septage dewatering pumper trucks. They vacuum sludge from septic tanks into an onboard holding tank. Solids are treated to separate sludge from the liquid, then the filtered water is pumped back into the septic tank. By retaining only the dewatered sludge, the technology allows the truck to service 30 to 40 systems before dumping. For more information, e-mail mayjm@gov.ns.ca.
WISCONSIN
New Evaluation Course
The Wisconsin Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association recently held its first Existing Private Onsite Wastewater Treatment System Evaluator Certification course in Sturgeon Bay. It featured one day of classroom study, another of field work, and a rigorous exam. Five association members wrote the program, as the state does not regulate evaluations of existing POWTS.
An evaluation includes observations, objective comments, and recommendations. It is not a regulatory function, as the association has no power to enforce. Instead, the client decides what to do with the information. Only Manitowoc, Brown, Kewaunee, and Door counties will regulate based on evaluation reports. To learn more, call Sue Schambureck at 920/374-0805 or e-mail madsonseptic@lakefield.net.
