EPA MOU Is Raising Awareness About Decentralized Wastewater, Improving Training Opportunities

EPA MOU Is Raising Awareness About Decentralized Wastewater, Improving Training Opportunities
Jeff Rachlin, NAWT president (front row, fourth from right), took part in the renewal ceremonies for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency decentralized wastewater partnership with many organizations.

Interested in Education/Training?

Get Education/Training articles, news and videos right in your inbox! Sign up now.

Education/Training + Get Alerts

In November 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency renewed a partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding with 16 public and private sector organizations in order to improve nationwide decentralized wastewater management. In November 2014, the partnership continued to grow with the addition of the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, National Rural Water Association and the National Association of Home Builders. Since its creation in 2005, the partnership has generated many successes marked by better cooperation, collaboration, consultation and communication among the various organizations.

Last fall, the National Association of Wastewater Technicians and 20 other public and private sector organizations and governmental agencies were represented at the EPA MOU renewal signing in Washington, D.C. Jeff Rachlin, NAWT president, NAWT Secretary Tom Ferrero and Bruce Fox attended the signing. Their presence represented the interest of wastewater technicians on Capitol Hill. NAWT has done a tremendous amount of work to educate both industry professionals and the public on matters related to wastewater, septic systems and their safety.

Some highlights of the efforts put forth by the MOU:

MOU Partnership papers

In 2012, the EPA Decentralized MOU Partnership developed four short papers for state, local and tribal government officials (which can be found at http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/septic/Decentralized-MOU-Partnership-Products.cfm) as well as interested stakeholders, which include information on the uses and benefits of decentralized wastewater treatment and examples of where it has played an effective role in a community’s wastewater treatment infrastructure. These papers include an introductory paper as well as three papers detailing the economic, environmental and public health aspects related to decentralized wastewater treatment.

Increased training and workshops

Attendance at training and workshops for installers and pumpers has increased noticeably over the past three years and feedback has been extremely positive. The partners have continued to collaborate on training efforts – relying on the combined strengths of each organization. Between 2012 and 2014, NAWT conducted training workshops in the areas of vacuum truck technician, installer and inspector/maintenance for 2,000 industry professionals.

Other EPA MOU highlights include: Installer Curriculum, Model Performance Code, MOU “Partnership Ally,” MOU Exhibit Booth, SepticSmart, SepticSmart Week, Webcast Services and Technology.

MOU Partners

The private sector organizations and governmental agencies represented at the EPA MOU signing and not mentioned earlier are the Agency of Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Association of Clean Water Administrators, Association of State Drinking Water Administrators, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Ground Water Protection Council, National Association of Towns and Townships, National Environmental Health Association, National Environmental Services Center, National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association, National Sanitation Foundation, Rural Community Assistance Program, State Onsite Regulations Alliance, Water Environment Federation and Water Environment Research Foundation.

2016 NAWT Excellence in Service Award

The deadline is fast approaching for NAWT’s 2016 Excellence in Service Award. All applications must be completed and postmarked by Nov. 2. Any applications received after the deadline will be placed on file for the next calendar year.

2016 NAWT Hapchuk Scholarship

The deadline for the 2016 NAWT Hapchuk Scholarship must be received or postmarked by Jan. 1, 2016, to be considered for the scholarship.

For more details regarding NAWT’s 2016 Excellence in Service Award or Hapchuk Scholarship please visit the NAWT website (www.nawt.org). If you have questions regarding NAWT please feel free to contact us at 800/236-6298 or info@nawt.org.



Discussion

Comments on this site are submitted by users and are not endorsed by nor do they reflect the views or opinions of COLE Publishing, Inc. Comments are moderated before being posted.