Managing Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems - a PDH Online Course for Engineers

Managing Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems

Course Outline

This six- hour course provides valuable information for those individuals who are interested in ensuring that onsite wastewater treatment systems are properly operated and maintained to ensure environmental and regulatory complaince. Completion of this course will provide the student the necessary information and testing to meet the continuing education requirements in order to renew their onsite designer and installer licenses required by most states. It was designed by an instructor who has developed and implemented numerous similar training courses.

This course requires the completion of a multiple-choice quiz at its conclusion in order to obtain the necessary certification for the individuals who are seeking to renew their license to design and install OWTSs.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will be able to:

Understand what an onsite wastewater treatment system is;
Understand the types of pollutants important in an OWTS;
Understand the history of the OWTS;
Understand the number and type of households using an OWTS;
Understand the age of a typical OWTS in the US;
Understand how to manage OWTSs;
Understand what agencies regulate OWTSs;
Understand who develops design standards for OWTSs;
Understand the weaknesses of the current OWTS management systems;
Understand the components of an OWTS;
Understand the benefits of an OWTS;
Understand the costs of an OWTS;
Understand how to fund OWTSs;
Understand how to determine the most appropriate OWTS components;
Understand how to determine the most appropriate OWTS management system;
Understand the typical costs of an OWTS;
Understand the elements of a successful OWTS management program;
Understand the types of management entities required to regulate OWTSs;
Understand what components are required for a proper management program;
Understand the thirteen elements of a successful management program;
Understand each of the thirteen elements;
Understand the five different types of management models;
Understand the advantages of each model;
Understand the disadvantages of each model;
Understand the differing risk levels associated with each model;
Understand how to chose the most appropriate model;
Understand the various risks associated with an OWTS; and
Understand how to select the most appropriate OWTS.

Intended Audience

The intended audience for this course is any professional who is involved in the design, regulation, installation, operation or maintenance of onsite wastewater treatment systems.

Benefit to Attendees

Attendees of this course will understand how to select, design, install or operate and maintain an onsite wastewater treatment system. This program will greatly reduce the learning curve for any professional interested in an OWTS.

Course Introduction

Approximately 50% of all households in the US utilize an onsite wastewater treatment system to treat their domestic waste. This course utilizes the document "Handbook for Managing Onsite and Clustered (Decentralized) Wastewater Treatment Systems", EPA Document No. EPA 832-B-05-001, December 2005 published by the US EPA as the basic text for designing, installing or managing an OWTS. This course will not qualify the student as a licensed septic tank designer, installer or inspector, but will provide most of the information required to take the appropriate state test. The course material presents introductory information required to obtain proficiency in the required subject matter.

Course Content

The associated course materials are contained in an Adobe Acrobat copy of the US EPA publication: Handbook for Managing Onsite and Clustered (Decentralized) Wastewater Treatment Systems, EPA Document No. EPA 832-B-05-001, December 2005:

Handbook for Managing Onsite and Clustered (Decentralized) Wastewater Treatment Systems, EPA Document No. EPA 832-B-05-001 (PDF file, 66 pages, 2 MB)

Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Course Summary

This course discusses the thirteen elements of an OWTS management program, the various ways to manage the a system of OWTSs, the advantages and disadvantages of each type of management system, and how they differ.

Related Links

For additional information related to this subject, please visit the following websites or web pages:

US Environmental Protection Agency

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.