Pumping professionals interested in exploring waste disposal options will want to plan to be on hand for a seminar track presented by the National Assoc-iation of Wastewater Transporters Inc. at the 2009 Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo International, Feb. 25-28, in Louisville, Ky.
The NAWT program — which will navigate liquid waste haulers through many treatment and disposal choices — is part of Education Day on Wednesday, Feb. 25.
Education Day includes 46 seminars presented by industry experts across the full range of environmental service industries. Seminars also are offered Thursday and Friday mornings.
A summary of the NAWT program follows. For a complete seminar schedule, see the Expo pages in this issue of Pumper.
What Are My Disposal Resources and How Do They Fit?
Tom Frank, general manager for Tim Frank Septic Tank Cleaning Co., Huntsburg, Ohio
Tom Frank and his father, Tim, built a waste treatment facility from the ground up, developing an expertise with dewatering sludge and land application of septage along the way. Then the family’s facility burned to the ground late in 2007 and they had to rebuild the facility. “Not only did they do it once, but they did it twice,’’ says Tom Ferrero, executive director of NAWT. “Tom is a resourceful fellow who will give great insight into thinking outside the box’’ in planning a treatment system, Ferrero says. Frank will walk attendees through the process of reviewing their current disposal options and how a pretreatment system might fit into their future plans.
Treatment Processes: What is Out There?
Therese Wheaton, owner of Crystal Environmental Springboro, Pa.
Wheaton has been a manufacturer’s rep for treatment systems and is a consultant for pumpers exploring disposal options for their own businesses. While Ferrero says the Expo is a great place to see a variety of dewatering equipment, Wheaton’s specialty is explaining how many components work to separate the waste stream into water that may be released to a municipal sewer system and solids that can be disposed. “She can put the big picture together and knows it as well as anyone,’’ Ferrero says of Wheaton, who presented a private treatment plant case history at NAWT’s Waste Treatment Symposium in September.
Evaluating Costs as Part of the Decision-Making Process
Tom Ferrero, executive director of NAWT
Ferrero will give advice pumpers can use to determine which method of disposal will work best in their specific situation. Choosing the best option is a first big step in business planning for the expense of a treatment system, Ferrero says. “If you can land-apply your material, there’s no sense in buying a $200,000 (dewatering) press,’’ he notes. “If you do a business plan, it becomes very clear if one option is better than another, or it becomes clear that it doesn’t matter what kind of system you go with.’’ Taking the factors of each specific business into account, you can then choose a treatment system type and get a good idea on the costs of controlling your own disposal destiny, he says.
Meeting Part 503 Requirements
Dave Gustafson, trainer for the Onsite Sewage Treatment Program of the University of Minnesota Water Resource Center
Gustafson will explain how commingled wastes processed privately are handled under Part 503 regulations. When pumpers process septage and grease trap waste, the mix is no longer considered septage, but sewage sludge, Ferrero says. Gustafson will explain how the wastes can be dewatered and disposed of in a program he presented at the NAWT Waste Treatment Symposium. While the mixed wastes may face increased regulation, good disposal options remain, according to Ferrero.
Turn Grease Trap Waste Into Gold
Claude Convisser, president of Plant Oil Powered Diesel Fuel System Inc., Albuquerque, N.M., and Greg Jarvies, owner of American Waste Removal in Albuquerque, N.M.
Convisser and Jarvies met at the Pumper & Cleaner Expo in 2008 and forged a partnership where Jarvies pumps grease traps and provides raw materials to Convisser, who skims off the oil and makes biodiesel fuel. Ferrero says it’s a great arrangement to process fuel used in trucks and reduce grease disposal costs. “A couple of years ago, we said this was a neat technology, and when diesel hits $5 a gallon, it will be valuable,’’ he says. “We’re getting closer than we think, especially when diesel got up to $5 a gallon last summer.’’ The New Mexico partners will explain how contractors can set up their own biodiesel operations.
Developing a Business Plan
Ron Mueller, business planning consultant for the Small Business Development Center of St. Charles County, Mo.
Mueller’s specialty is explaining how small business owners can create a professional and polished business plan, which is a critical document when it comes time to seek business bank financing for a project like a treatment plant. He will help pumpers take the industry-specific technical information and insert it into a business plan that will make loan officers sit up and take notice. This program is a refined presentation of the business planning session Mueller gave at the NAWT Waste Treatment Symposium.
Liquid Waste Haulers Will Find These Additional Sessions Valuable:
Wednesday, Feb. 25 (Education Day)
• Overview and Industry Trends: Wastewater Chemistry and Biology – Ted Loudon, private consultant and past president of the National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association; Mark Hooks, regional regulatory consultant, Infiltrator Systems Inc.
• Soil and Site Evaluation Overview –Ted Loudon and Mark Hooks.
• Septic Tanks: Function, Inspection, Installation, and Troubleshooting – Ted Loudon and Mark Hooks.
• Operation and Maintenance of Systems – Ted Loudon and Mark Hooks.
• OSHA Regulations Need Understanding – Kathy Romans, national sales manager for Trellborg/ NPC Pipe and Manhole Repair Products Division.
• Pumpers and O & M: Providing the Full Service – Craig Gilbertson, environ-mental planner with Ayers Associates.
• Routine Maintenance Inspections: Increase Profits While Lowering Cost to System Owner – Kit Rosefield, a qualified service provider in California.
Thursday, Feb. 26
• Portable Sanitation: Maximizing Your Profits and Managing Your Costs – Hampel Corp.
• Selling Portable Restroom Services – Katie Potter, Phil LaRoche and Clyde Sansom, Satellite Industries.
• Polymer Solutions For Water and Waterwater Treatment – Ed Winn of Fort Bend Services.
Friday, Feb. 27
• Keys to Proper Power Take-Off Selection – David Douglass, director of training for Muncie Power Products Inc.
• How to Choose Vacuum Tank, Chassis and Pump Configurations – Brian Amthor, marketing and personnel director for Amthor International.
To find out more about the education program or any other Expo offering, visit www.pumpershow.com. Register online or by calling 800/257-7222.
