August Association News

Association News, Calendar, Training and Education

CANADA:

Streamlining Rules

Waste Water Nova Scotia held focus meetings with industry professionals around the province to learn which legislative issues needed clarification or streamlining. Members brought their concerns to Blake McDonald, onsite services coordinator with the Department of the Environment, and are working with him for resolution.

A booth staffed by the association at the Halifax Home Show educated attendees about onsite services. Its new self-study training course allows future pumpers and portable restroom operators to work under supervision while becoming licensed. The group also creates videos documenting the installation of a variety of onsite systems.

 

Serving a Task Force

Alberta Onsite Wastewater Management Association President Dale McLure was named to the provincial Septage Advisory Committee to help review regulations and propose changes. The organization developed an ad hoc task force with Alberta Municipal Affairs and the Safety Codes Council to address permitting, inspections and enforcement issues. Association members want a standardized permitting process and a more efficient and accountable enforcement structure.

 

On Exhibit

The Saskatchewan Onsite Wastewater Management Association exhibited at the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. convention in Regina to help First Nations communities better understand the design and installation of onsite systems.

 

Inspection Protocols

Proposed revisions in the Ontario Building Code included inspecting onsite systems near protected waters. The Ontario Onsite Wastewater Association helped develop the procedures and protocols for inspectors. Requirements include liability insurance for system inspection.

 

FLORIDA:

Legislative Update

During the last legislative session, the Florida Onsite Wastewater Association worked to educate House and Senate members on the importance of a septic tank evaluation program in hopes of altering a new law that has stirred controversy. The organization formed a coalition with the Florida Home Builders Association, Florida Association of Realtors and Associated Industries of Florida to support an alternative bill.

 

Land Application Discussion

Maurice Barker, Florida Department of Environmental Protection biosolids coordinator, told the Polk County Commission that land application of treated waste from municipal treatment plants and septic tanks is not a threat to health or the environment.

Rules addressing how the waste is treated are being revised to include more oversight and restrictions on application sites to prevent groundwater and surface water contamination. George O’Connor, an environmental soil chemist from the University of Florida, said the applied materials are of high quality and cited studies that showed no health effects.

Loretta Firis of the Polk County Health Department said the county inspects sites twice a year and investigates citizen complaints about odors and other concerns. Commissioners agreed that insufficient policing was the cause of most complaints.

 

GEORGIA:

New Officers

Jesse Nix of North Georgia Environmental Services in Cleveland was elected president of the Georgia Onsite Wastewater Association. The board elected John Ford vice president, Matt Vinson secretary, and Mike Fugate treasurer. Kathy Marsh replaced resigning board member Sam Banks.

 

Training & Education

Registered Professional Program

The Ontario Onsite Wastewater Association is an authorized agent for courses required by the Ontario Building Code for onsite installer and inspector certification. The association’s Registered Professional Program offers advanced classes on regulatory requirements, installation techniques and new products.

Current accreditation includes Level I, Advanced, Master for installers, designers and maintenance providers, and accreditation for government and residential inspectors. Contact Denis Orendt at 905/372-2722 or dorendt@yahoo.ca.

 

Installation Training

The Pennsylvania Septage Management Association and Pennsylvania Association of Sewage Enforcement Officers are developing an Installation of Wastewater Treatment Systems course using materials from the Consortium of Institutes for Decentralized Wastewater Treatment.

The National Environmental Health Association will administer the certification exam. If the course is approved by the state Department of Environmental Protection, it will qualify for continuing education units. Contact Stacy Henninger at 717/763-7762 or communications@psma.net.

 

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. 8-9 – Continuing Education, Florence

• Sept. 21-23 – Basic Installer

• Oct. 6-7 – Pumpers

• Oct. 12-14 – Advanced Installer I

• Oct. 27-28 – Continuing Education, Mobile

The first day of continuing education classes is for installers and the second day for pumpers and portable restroom operators. Call the training center at 205/652-3803 or visit www.aowatc.uwa.edu.

 

California

The California Onsite Wastewater Association is offering these

National Association of Wastewater Transporters classes:

• Sept. 22-23 – Operation and Maintenance, Part 1, Citrus Heights

• Oct. 6-7 – Septage Treatment Workshop, Sutter Creek

• Oct. 7 – Vacuum Truck Technician, Sutter Creek

Call Kit Rosefield at 530/513-6658 or visit www.cowa.org.

 

Florida

The Florida Onsite Wastewater Association Training Center is offering these courses with master credit hours:

• Sept. 7 – Advanced Treatment Systems, Key Largo

• Sept. 13 – Advanced Treatment Systems, Hawthorne

• Sept. 15 – Advanced Treatment Systems, Port St. Joe

Contact FOWA at 321/363-1590 or www.fowaonsite.com.

 

Georgia

The University of Georgia’s College of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences is offering a contractors and pumpers course:

• Sept. 9 – Dalton

• Sept. 14 – Columbus

• Sept. 21 – Macon

• Sept. 27 – Athens/Rock Eagle

• Oct. 12 – Albany

• Oct. 18 – Dublin

• Oct. 25 – Valdosta

Contact Vaughn Berkheiser, 770/233-5506 or vberk@uga.edu.

 

Iowa

The Iowa Onsite Wastewater Association has a Small Community Systems course Sept. 19 in Ogden. Contact Alice Vinsand at 515/225-1051, execdir@iowwa.com, or visit www.iowwa.com.

 

Michigan

The Michigan Onsite Wastewater Training and Education Center in Novi has an Onsite System Maintenance course on Sept. 28-29. Call Barb DeLong at 517/355-4720 or visit www.egr.msu.edu/age/outreach.html.

 

Minnesota

The University of Minnesota Water Resources Center has these classes:

• Sept. 8 – Soils Continuing Education, Brainerd

• Sept. 27-29 – Advanced Design and Inspection, Part 1, St. Cloud

• Oct. 18-21 – Advanced Design and Inspection, Part 2, St. Cloud

Call Nick Haig, 800/322-8642, or visit www.septic.umn.edu.

 

Missouri

The Missouri Smallflows Organization is offering these CEU courses:

• Sept. 6 – Drainfields and Water Management, St. Louis

• Sept. 7 – Earthen Structures, St. Louis

• Sept. 27 – Troubleshooting, Springfield

• Sept. 28 – Hydraulics, Springfield

• Oct. 11 – Profitable Business, Camdenton

• Oct. 12 – Troubleshooting, Camdenton

• Oct. 25-26 – High-Strength Waste, Liberty

Call Tammy Yelden, 417/739-4100, or visit www.mosmallflows.org.

 

New England

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

• Sept. 1 – Conventional Onsite Treatment Basics for Installers

• Sept. 15 – Innovative and Alternative Technologies

• Sept. 21 – Conventional Onsite System Inspection

• Sept. 21-22 – Conventional Onsite System Inspection and Field Training

• Sept. 29 – Installing Advanced Onsite Systems

• Sept. 29 – Innovative and Alternative Technology Field Training, Peckham Farm

• Oct. 6 – Bottomless Sand Filter Design and Installation

• Oct. 13 – Functional Inspections

Call 401/874-5950 or visit www.uri.edu/ce/wq.

 

North Carolina

North Carolina State University has the following courses:

• Sept. 1 – Wastewater in the Environment, Concord

• Sept. 7-8 – Introductory Installer, Mills River

• Sept. 9 – Installing Pump Systems, Mills River

• Sept. 14-15 – Subsurface Wastewater System Inspector, Greensboro

• Oct. 25 – Soil Profiling for Wastewater and/or Stormwater

Handling, Wilmington

• Oct. 27 – Installation of Advanced Systems, Wilmington

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

The North Carolina Pumper Group and Portable Toilet Group are holding the four-hour septage management training and three-hour land application seminar on Sept. 24 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:

• Oct. 20-21 – Installer/Inspector, Hickory

• Oct. 26-28 – Installer, Inspector, Pumper, Land Application,

Greensboro

Visit www.ncsta.net or email ncsta@earthlink.net.

 

Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Septage Management Association is offering these Onsite Wastewater Treatment System Inspection courses:

• Sept. 13-14 – Basic and Advanced Onsite Treatment Inspection Certification, Montoursville

• Oct. 5-6 – Confined Space/Competent Person Training,

Stroudsburg

Call 717/763-7762 or visit www.psma.net.

 

Utah

Utah State University has these On-Site Wastewater Treatment Training Certification Workshops:

• Sept. 12-13 – Level 1, Heber City

• Sept. 14 – Renewal Level 1 Certification, Heber City

• Sept. 15 – Renewal Level 2 Certification, Heber City

• Sept. 28-29 – Level 2, Logan

• Oct. 11-13 – Level 3, Logan

• Oct. 19 – Renewal Level 3 Certification, Logan

Call 435/797-1000 or visit http://uwrl.usu.edu/partnerships/training/classes.html.

 

Virginia

The Virginia Center for Onsite Wastewater Training has these classes:

• Sept. 5-Nov. 11 – Nitrogen Dynamics, Online Course

• Oct. 3-7 – System Design Camp I, Pickett Park

Contact Lydia Shepherd at 434/292-3101, email lydia.shepherd@southside.edu, or visit www.southside.edu.

Pumper invites your state association to post notices and news items in this column. Send contributions to editor@pumper.com.

 

Calendar

Aug. 4-6

Florida Onsite Wastewater Association Conference and Trade Show, Daytona Beach Convention Center, Daytona Beach. 407/937-2228; www.fowaonsite.com.

 

Aug. 19-20

Georgia Onsite Wastewater Association Conference and Industry Exhibit, Hilton Atlanta/Marietta Hotel and Conference Center, Marietta. 678/646-0369; http://onsitewastewater.org.



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