SORA

[ Download Business Meeting/ PowerPoint File . size 316 KB ]

— Dave Schepens, SORA Chairman of the Board, Program Manager II, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Ground Water Discharges Section

SORA Meeting Includes White Paper Presentations:

1. Decentralized On-Site Wastewater Technologies: Sustainable Green Infrastructure that Protects Source Water Quality and Public Health

— Bob Uebler, Ph.D., North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources,
On-Site Water Protection Section, Washington, NC

2. Decentralized/On-Site Wastewater Projects and Programs—Opportunities for Funding

— Edward Corriveau, P.E., Planning and Finance Chief,
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, South-central Regional Office, Harrisburg, PA
— Eleanor Krukowski, P.G., Supervisor, Onsite Wastewater Management Unit,
Bureau of Nonpoint Source Control, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Trenton, NJ

[ Download Water Management/ PowerPoint File . size 11.1 MB ]

Emerging water management approaches that integrate decentralized and centralized systems are enhancing economic, environment and social conditions in rural, suburban, and urban communities. A recent WERF sponsored research project analyzed 20 case studies where distributed approaches are being used to provide integrated water services across a range of community-specific situations and management frameworks while developing a tool to help communities decide whether a distributed infrastructure approach would help meet their specific sustainability objectives.

— Victor D'Amato, P.E., Tetra Tech, Research Triangle Park, NC

[ Download Nutrient Removal/ PowerPoint File . size 2.1 MB ]

The choice of nutrient removal systems in key locations across the U.S. has recently resulted in clashes between traditional urban system engineers and decentralized practitioners that have gone well beyond rational scientific and economic boundaries. The scientific principles of the various decentralized treatment options for reducing nitrogen and phosphorus to meet ecologically-based water quality standards are discussed in a manner that relates to onsite and small community regulators. Many of these options have changed in the last decade, along with performance capabilities. The presentation will focus on the most feasible methods for nitrogen removal, which is often at the forefront of these acrimonious encounters.

— James Kreissl, Environmental Consultant, Villa Hills, KY

[ Download Small Scale Reuse/ PowerPoint File . size 26.4 MB ]

While larger communities (Alamogordo, Las Cruces, Deming, Carlsbad, Rio Rancho, Cloudcroft) aggressively pursue beneficial reuse of treated wastewater, small systems are actively discouraged from participating in this activity. The possibilities and barriers, both regulatory and political, to reuse of wastewater in an arid state will be considered along with potential solutions. A decade ago the major barriers were technology and public perception. Millions of dollars have been spent on research for water reuse technology. The public has made significant strides in accepting water reuse. Today the biggest barrier is arguably not technology, but regulatory oversight. The data from NM will be reviewed and approaches to increasing reuse suggested.

— Adrian Hanson, Civil Engineering, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM

[ Download Performance of Pretreatment Systems/ PowerPoint File . size 8.1 MB ]

The results of data collected in North Carolina during 2006 and 2007 from three types of pretreatment systems at over 400 sites are presented. Field results are compared to bench test sites where systems receive certification. Field data are evaluated for compliance with performance standards. Reasons for compliance excursions are discussed. Analysis is presented to evaluate the number of grab samples needed to reach accurate and replicable conclusions about system compliance with established standards.

— Bob Uebler, Ph.D., North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, On-Site Water Protection Section, Washington, NC

— Steven Berkowitz, North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, On-Site Water Protection Section, Washington, NC

[ Download Credibility/ PowerPoint File . size 528 KB ]

Performance-based regulation of decentralized/onsite wastewater systems has been a subject of discussion in the "industry" for two decades, but when "push comes to shove" the concept in its purest form remains a source of discomfort for the regulatory community. But while performance-based philosophies may seem too unstructured and undefined, inflexible prescriptive codes can find profoundly important decisions (particularly for owners, developers and manufacturers) based upon provisions that amount to little more than local custom. There is a middle-ground, however, that's more about attitude than knowledge, and while the risks are higher the rewards are priceless.

— Anthony Smithson, A. Smithson & Associates, Vernon Hills, IL

[ Download NSF/ PowerPoint File . size 2.5 MB ]

Three new NSF Onsite Wastewater Treatment Standards are nearing completion. Each has been developed through NSF's consensus process, involving an expert committee culminating in American National Standards. - NSF/ANSI 240 Drainfield Product Trench Sizing for Gravity Dispersal - NSF/ANSI 350 Onsite Residential and Commercial Reuse Treatment Systems - NSF/ANSI 360 Field Performance Verification.

— Tom Bruursema, General Manager Drinking Water and Wastewater Treatment Unit Programs, NSF International, Ann Arbor, MI