Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

1. The meeting began at approximately 1:00 pm Camelback B Room of theSheraton Grand Hotel in Phoenix, AZ. Eight individuals, representing six Land Grant institutions, attended the NE1545 project meeting (participant list is below).  Each representative institution delivered a brief update of NE1545 related activities for the reporting year October 1, 2015 to September 30, 2016.  Accomplishments of these research and outreach activities are noted in the Accomplishment section of this report.
2. Sara Heger provided an overview of the educational and research activities at the University of Minnesota (UM).  Recently the program has added two additional staff (one full time and one-part time) to assist in workshop delivery and research activities.  In the past year the UM trained over 2,000 septic system professionals including designers, engineers, installers, inspectors, maintainers and service providers.  Five training events were held geared towards community members and citizens.  The UM recently completed two research/outreach grant projects:  The NIFA funded tool for develop community septic system owners guides and the MnDOT funded Phase I evaluation of rest stops, weigh scales and truck stations.  Currently the program is involved in the following projects: optimizing septic tank performance, a Phase II evaluation of MnDOT facilities, reducing chloride from water softeners and impacts of use on tank pumping in the Ottertail Water Management District.
3. Jennifer Cooper from the University of Rhode Island reported on her research indicating that climate change may affect the composition and amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted from the soil treatment area (STA) of onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) in the Northeastern United States. Higher temperatures and water tables can affect treatment by reducing the volume of unsaturated soil and oxygen available for treatment, which may result in greater production of GHGs or a shift towards more potent GHGs (e.g. CO₂ and CH₄), and increasing the global warming potential. We used intact soil mesocosms to quantify the impact of climate change (30 cm elevation in water table, 5°C increase in soil temperature) on the GHG emissions from a conventional and two types of shallow narrow STAs. Conventional STAs receive wastewater from the septic tank, with infiltration occurring deeper in the soil profile. In contrast, shallow narrow STAs receive pre-treated wastewater that infiltrates higher in the soil profile.  Greater production of methane and carbon dioxide were observed from all STA types under climate change, however the increase was more pronounced in the conventional STA.  Production of nitrous oxide decreased under climate change for all STA types, however, the decrease was more pronounced in the shallow narrow STAs.  This may indicate a change in speciation of nitrogen gas from nitrous oxide to dinitrogen gas under climate change.  Under climate change the global warming potential due to GHG release increased for the conventional STAs, but decreased for the shallow narrow STAs.  Our results indicate that climate change can affect production and speciation of GHGs, with effects dependent on the gas and STA type.
4. Sergio Abit from Oklahoma State University presented his output from cooperative extension projects related to OWTS. Three main extension activities were completed: a) establishing a state-wide OWTS Professional Education Program, b) establishing an OWTS Training and Demonstration Facility, and c) Organizing the Inaugural Oklahoma Onsite Wastewater Conference. All of these activities were a collaborative effort of the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, the Oklahoma Certified Installers Association, and the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality.
5. Steven Safferman from Michigan State University reported on research associated with Objectives 2 and 4. Specifically, he discussed engineered reactive iron media to uptake and recover phosphorous.  The technology is close to being commercialized by the industrial partner. Compared to chemical treatment, less than 25% of greenhouse gas emissions are estimated.  An update was provided on researching the appropriate organic and hydraulic loading associated with the land treatment of food processing waste.  The advantages relative to greenhouse gas emissions was discussed.  He also discussed progress relative to Objective 4.  The MSUE Comprehensive Onsite Wastewater Management Education Program just initiated a new online program for designers and installers.  Completion of the classes results in 1.6 continuing education credits and/or 16 septage waste education credits.  The first five participants are currently taking the class.
6. The meeting concluded at 4:00 pm.

Accomplishments (by project objective)

Outputs

Project Objective 2 – Develop new OWTS design criteria for the purposes of climate change adaptation and mitigation

University of Georgia findings – UGA research has been designed to determine what effect OWTS have of stream flow and water quality. Synoptic samples and discharge measurements of 24 watersheds in Metropolitan Atlanta with a range of OWTS density were taken under base flow conditions in spring, summer, and fall of 2011, 2012, and 2013.  Our findings show that NO₃^- concentrations showed a linear increase with OWTS density above a threshold of about 100 OWTS per sq.km. There is also evidence that bacteria from OWTS are reaching the streams via groundwater flow during periods when water tables are high.

UGA staff continues to serve on an expert panel tasked with estimating the percent of the nitrogen (N) load from OWTS that was lost in the flow path from a typical home to third-order streams as part of the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). These losses were referred to as attenuation factors. We developed values for the soil (unsaturated) zone and for the Piedmont and Coastal Plain groundwater zones. For the soil zone, we used the Soil Treatment Unit MODel (STUMOD) to estimate loses due to denitrification for all 12 soil textural classes and then averaged the results over three textural groups. Assuming hydraulic loading at the design rate and a conventional system, the attenuation factors were 16% for sand, loamy sand, sandy loam, and loam soils; 34% for silt loam, clay loam, sandy clay loam, silty clay loam, and silt soils; and 54% for sandy clay, silty clay, and clay soils. Attenuation factors increased in the more clayey soils due to wetter conditions and more losses due to denitrification. These attenuation factors will be used to estimate the contribution of N to the Chesapeake Bay in the Phase 6 TMDL models. A final report has been submitted.

University of Minnesota findings –  MnDOT Phase I -  UMN published a final report regarding the risk analysis done at MnDOT facilities. This unique study evaluated the 52 existing subsurface OWTS at safety rest areas (SRA) travel information centers, truck stations and weigh scales at MnDOT facilities across MN. This three-year partnership brought together the septic expertise of the UMN with the MnDOT wastewater unit’s agency and site knowledge. The goal of the assessments was to evaluate risk and provide a risk analysis ranking system.  The project began with an extensive record search where many documents were digitized and a database of information created.   The next step was development of a draft assessment protocol, which was pilot tested on five systems and refined based on those experiences.  The full assessment included a preliminary review of the site, a facility assessment, effluent sampling, septic tank inspections, evaluation of advanced treatment units when present and an assessment of the soil treatment system.  The information from the assessment was used to develop a risk ranking of all systems.  This project and process is one that could be modified to evaluate facilities in other states or owned by other entities.

Throughout the course of the investigation, data was collected on over a 100 characteristics of the septic system at each of the 52 facilities.  Overall, 45 of the 52 wastewater systems evaluated were in average to above average condition. Five facilities were found to be excellent with a score of 5; 14 were found to be above average with some areas for improvement with a score 4; and 26 systems scored 3 or average. The remaining 7 are most in need of repairs and/or replacement with a 2 or <70% of an ideal system score.   In addition, all systems with public safety and health issues are viewed to be below average until these issues are rectified.  The risk assessment created can be used for planning purposes to prioritize capital upgrades, but only if a sustainable process is created and incorporated into the daily workload.  A fact-based, rational, transparent, reproducible and systematic level of service needs to be identified. 

MnDOT Phase II - During the Phase I evaluation of the MnDOT septic system facilities numerous additional research areas arose which will be evaluated in this project.  The first objective will be continuation and expansion of field-based verification of groundwater mounding to estimate the influence of larger wastewater treatment systems on groundwater systems.  The second objective will continue and expand the water use study. For each of the 52 facilities an operation and maintenance manual will be created.  A MnDOT septic system design manual for new projects to follow will be developed based on MnDOT and the state of Minnesota requirements. Toilet paper options for use at safety rest areas (SRA) will be evaluated.  This project will also develop an educational display for each of the districts on water and wastewater treatment at SRAs.  The impacts of water conditioning on six of the septic systems and the environment will be evaluated.  At five other sites flammable waste traps will be tested and evaluated. 

Optimizing Septic Tank Performance - The UMN continues work to on a project to optimize septic tank performance focusing on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and capturing nutrients. This project aims to develop next generation septic systems focusing on nutrient recuperation, bioenergy generation and environmental protection by the implementation of a bio-electrochemical system. This project proposes to plug a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) into current septic tank systems in order to improve the water quality of septic tanks effluents, to recuperate phosphorus that can be used as fertilizer, to increase the production and collection of biogas for the bioenergy application and to decrease the greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions.  The experimentation to date has been in the lab and will move to the field, and the results obtained will be applied to modify current design of the septic tank systems. The project will evaluate the capital and operational costs of the implementation of such a system and assess the potential benefits. The technology developed during this project could be useful to thousands of rural communities, especially those that do not have access to centralized wastewater treatment facilities.

Ottertail Use and Pumping Evaluation - The UMN is also evaluating the maintenance records of a large sanitary district, evaluating how use in the homes impacts the need for maintenance using records of sludge and scum accumulation. The Otter Tail Water Management District in Otter Tail County, MN is responsible for maintaining approximately 1,700 septic systems for residences in a 55-square mile area in northwestern MN.  This study looked for correlations between household practices and the function of individual wastewater treatment systems in order to identify factors contributing high septic system success rates. Homeowner surveys were coupled with septic tank inspection and monitoring records kept by the District in an attempt to identify correlations.  The final report will be published in early 2017 and will provide useful insight into management and use impacts on tank pumping and longevity.

Reducing Chlorides from Water Softeners in Surface and Groundwater - A new grant project was initiated evaluating options to reduce chloride loads from water softening devices.  Minnesota uses an increasing amount of salt (sodium chloride) to de-ice our roads, parking lots, and sidewalks (increased by 230% between 1991 and 2006) and to soften our water. Deicing salt infiltrates into roadside soils during snowmelt events or directly runs off into surface waters. Water-softening salt is often discharged from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) to surface waters and also from private OWTS directly into adjacent soils. When water is softened to remove hardness, salt is used to regenerate the softener releasing chloride to OWTS and WWTP. Monitoring to date has shown numerous WWTP with discharge concentrations greater than limits for protecting aquatic life. Greater MN may have similar problems, given the prevalence of private OWTS near lakes and streams. While the contribution of chloride from softening is less than from road salt, this may be the “low hanging fruit” in the reduction of salt use because it is not related to public safety.  By better understanding softening salt use, we will determine potential methods required to make significant progress in the reduction of this salt use. Minimizing the impacts of increased use of salt to surface waters and groundwater in MN is necessary because it is impractical and costly to remove it.

This project will quantify the current water softening salt loads in MN, assess alternative softening materials and methods and quantify the transport of chloride from de-icing and softening through the soil. This project will enable us to minimize the long-term impacts of de-icing and softening salt on surface waters and groundwater across MN. The outcome of this project is to enhance strategies that improve water quality by providing methods to reduce the chloride load from water softening and developing tools that predict salt movement through the soil. The methods and tools developed during this project will inform state, municipal and private entities using de-icing salt, municipal WWTP operators, and thousands of rural communities. 

University of Rhode Island 

URI: Water-filled pore space and soil-based wastewater treatment of nitrogen.  Water-filled pore space (WFPS) exerts an important control on microbial N removal in soil-based wastewater treatment.  Current understanding of the effects of WFPS on wastewater N removal is from incubation of surface soils with clean, oxygenated water.  However, wastewater has high levels of organic C, nutrients, microorganisms, and a low O₂ level, and is treated in subsurface soil horizons with a residence time of hours. We examined how adjusting WFPS with septic tank effluent (STE), sand filter effluent (SFE) or deionized water (DW) affected N₂O and N₂ production in B (silt loam) and C (very gravelly coarse sand) horizon soil.  Nitrous oxide production/consumption by soil microorganisms – normalized by water volume added – was highest at a WFPS of 0.10 – 0.30, decreasing with increasing WFPS for all soil and water types.  Carbon and NO₃ additions did not affect N₂O production in soil receiving SFE or STE, respectively. When STE, SFE or DW amended with ¹⁵NH₄ was used to adjust WFPS, conversion to N gases was highest (4–6 % for DW; 1–2% for STE and SFE) at the lowest WFPS (0.10). Normalized production of ¹⁵N₂ was ~100× higher than ¹⁵N₂O, and both decreased exponentially with increasing WFPS. Production of ¹⁵N₂ varied linearly with ¹⁵N₂O for most water and soil types, suggesting strong coupling of processes. Our results differ from those using surface soils and clean water, and suggest that N removal in soil-based wastewater treatment needs to be based on experiments using subsurface horizons and wastewater at relevant timescales. 

URI: Diminished OWTS performance in coastal regions due to climate change.  Climate change may affect the ability of soil-based onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) to treat wastewater in coastal regions of the Northeastern United States. Higher temperatures and water tables can affect treatment by reducing the volume of unsaturated soil and oxygen available for treatment, which may result in greater transport of pathogens, nutrients, and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD₅) to groundwater, jeopardizing public and aquatic ecosystem health. The soil treatment area (STA) of an OWTS removes contaminants as wastewater percolates through the soil. Conventional STAs receive wastewater from the septic tank, with infiltration occurring deeper in the soil profile. In contrast, shallow narrow STAs receive pre-treated wastewater that infiltrates higher in the soil profile, which may make them more resilient to climate change. We used intact soil mesocosms to quantify the water quality functions of a conventional and two types of shallow narrow STAs under present climate (PC; 20°C) and climate change (CC; 25°C, 30 cm elevation in water table). Significantly greater removal of BOD₅ was observed under CC for all STA types. Phosphorus removal decreased significantly from 75% (PC) to 66% (CC) in the conventional STA, and from 100% to 71–72% in shallow narrow STAs. No fecal coliform bacteria (FCB) were released under PC, whereas up to 17 and 20 CFU 100 mL^-1 were released in conventional and shallow narrow STAs, respectively, under CC. Total N removal increased from 14% (PC) to 19% (CC) in the conventional STA, but decreased in shallow narrow STAs, from 6–7% to less than 3.0%. Differences in removal of FCB and total N were not significant. Leaching of N in excess of inputs was also observed in shallow narrow STAs under CC. Our results indicate that climate change can affect contaminant removal from wastewater, with effects dependent on the contaminant and STA type.

URI: Accuracy of Rapid Tests Used for Analysis of Advanced OWTS Effluent.  Rapid tests provide an inexpensive, desirable alternative to standard laboratory analyses for testing advanced onsite wastewater treatment system (OWTS) effluent in the field. Despite their potential utility, their accuracy for analysis of effluent from advanced OWTS has not been assessed. We evaluated the accuracy of an initial suite of rapid tests commonly used to analyze wastewater (test strips for ammonium, pH, nitrate, and alkalinity; pH pocket meter; titration kit for dissolved oxygen (DO)) by comparing values obtained in the field to values obtained using standard laboratory methods. We tested final effluent from three different advanced nitrogen removal OWTS technologies sampled monthly for 7 months at 42 different sites within the greater Narragansett Bay watershed in Rhode Island. Significant differences between values obtained using field and laboratory methods were found only for nitrate and pH test strips when the data were analyzed using ANOVA on ranks. However, regression analysis indicated that all test strip-based rapid methods and the DO titration kit produced values that deviated significantly from correspondence with laboratory analyses. When effluent samples were analyzed in the laboratory (to minimize sources of variability) using the same rapid tests, significant differences between rapid tests and standard analysis disappeared for all the tests. Evaluation of a suite of alternative rapid tests for ammonium, nitrate, pH, and alkalinity indicated that test kits for NH₄⁺ and multi-analysis test strips for pH provide accurate results in the field. Our results indicate that the accuracy of rapid tests needs to be evaluated under field conditions before they are used to assess effluent from advanced N-removing OWTS.

URI: Modeling nitrogen losses in conventional and advanced soil-based OWTS under current and changing climate conditions.         Most of the non-point source nitrogen (N) load in rural areas is attributed to onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS). Nitrogen compounds cause eutrophication, depleting the oxygen in marine ecosystems. OWTS rely on physical, chemical and biological soil processes to treat wastewater and these processes may be affected by climate change. We simulated the fate and transport of N in different types of OWTS drainfields, or soil treatment areas (STA) under current and changing climate scenarios, using 2D/3D HYDRUS software. Experimental data from a mesocosm-scale study, including soil moisture content, and total N, ammonium (NH₄⁺) and nitrate (NO₃^-) concentrations, were used to calibrate the model. A water content-dependent function was used to compute the nitrification and denitrification rates. Three types of drainfields were simulated: (1) a pipe-and-stone (P&S), (2) advanced soil drainfields, pressurized shallow narrow drainfield (PSND) and (3) Geomat (GEO), a variation of SND. The model was calibrated with acceptable goodness-of-fit between the observed and measured values. Average root mean square error (RSME) ranged from 0.18 and 2.88 mg L^-1 for NH₄⁺and 4.45 mg L^-1 to 9.65 mg L^-1 for NO₃^- in all drainfield types. The calibrated model was used to estimate N fluxes for both conventional and advanced STAs under current and changing climate conditions, i.e. increased soil temperature and higher water table. The model computed N losses from nitrification and denitrification differed little from measured losses in all STAs. The modeled N losses occurred mostly as NO₃^- in water outputs, accounting for more than 82% of N inputs in all drainfields. Losses as N₂ were estimated to be 10.4% and 9.7% of total N input concentration for SND and Geo, respectively. The highest N₂ losses, 17.6%, were estimated for P&S. Losses as N₂ increased to 22%, 37% and 21% under changing climate conditions for Geo, PSND and P&S, respectively. These findings can provide practitioners with guidelines to estimate N removal efficiencies for traditional and advanced OWTS, and predict N loads and spatial distribution for identifying non-point sources. Our results show that N losses on OWTS can be modeled successfully using HYDRUS. Furthermore, the results suggest that climate change may increase the removal of N as N₂ in the drainfield, with the magnitude of the effect depending on a drainfield type.

URI: Nitrogen transformations in different types of soil treatment areas receiving domestic wastewater.  Removal of N within the soil treatment area (STA) of OWTS is attributed to heterotrophic denitrification, with N lost to the atmosphere as N_2.  However, the evidence supporting heterotrophic denitrification as the sole process for N removal is scant. We used ¹⁵NH₄⁺ to follow N transformations in intact soil mesocosms representing a conventional STA receiving anoxic, C-rich wastewater, and two shallow-placed STAs receiving partially oxygenated, low-C wastewater. Nitrogen losses in the gas phase took place almost exclusively as ¹⁵N₂ in all STA types. We observed 10²–10³times higher flux of N₂ than N₂O in all STAs, as well as net production of ¹⁵N₂ and ¹⁵N₂O near the infiltrative surface and at greater depths in the soil profile. In situ net production of ¹⁵NH₄⁺ suggested internal recycling of inorganic N in all STAs. The constraints imposed by differences in availability of electron donors and acceptors and soil physicochemical parameters in different STAs, point to autotrophic N removal processes (e.g., anaerobic ammonia oxidation, autotrophic denitrification) as playing an important role in N removal. Our results suggest that N removal occurs at all depths of the STA, with losses due to both autotrophic and heterotrophic processes. Optimization of autotrophic N removal processes in the STA warrants further research efforts and may provide improved N removal.

URI: Transport of Escherichia coli in a soil-based OWTS under simulated climate change conditions.  Bacteria removal efficiencies in a conventional soil-based wastewater treatment system (OWTS) have been modeled to elucidate the fate and transport of E. coli bacteria under environmental and operational conditions that might be expected under changing climatic conditions. The HYDRUS 2D/3D software was used to model the impact of changing precipitation patterns, bacteria concentrations, hydraulic loading rates (HLRs), and higher subsurface temperatures at different depths and soil textures. Modeled effects of bacteria concentration shows that greater depth of treatment was required in coarser soils than in fine-textured ones to remove E. coli. The initial removal percentage was higher when HLR was lower, but it was greater when HLR was higher. When a biomat layer was included in the transport model, the performance of the system improved by up to 12.0%. Lower bacteria removal (<5%) was observed at all depths under the influence of precipitation rates ranging from 5 to 35 cm, and 35-cm rainfall combined with a 70% increase in HLR. Increased subsurface temperature (23°C) increased bacteria removal relative to a lower temperature range (5–20°C). Our results show that the model is able to effectively simulate bacteria removal and the effect of precipitation and temperature in different soil textures. It appears that the performance of OWTS may be impacted by changing climate.

Six undergraduate, one M.S. and two Ph.D. students, three Research Assistants, and two principal investigators participated in these URI research efforts, which resulted in the publication of 5 peer-reviewed papers (an additional one is in review), one doctoral dissertation, and 11 abstracts.

University of Tennessee at Knoxville in cooperation with the University of Georgia used the HYDRUS computer model to simulate chloride (a common conservative constituent in wastewater) movement in three dimensions from an emitter for three weeks under a winter and a summer scenario using typical values for precipitation and potential evapotranspiration in north Georgia. The simulated hydraulic loading rates were based on soil texture and assumed a new housing development that is only partially built out.  Based on our results, we recommend increasing the emitter spacing from 60 cm (24 in) to 90 cm (36 in) for Group I (sand, loamy sand, silt, and silt loam) and Group II (sandy loam and loam) soils.  Using hydraulic loading rates that are approximately 25% of design, HYDRUS modeling found overlap of effluent plumes from adjacent emitters.  One of the primary advantages of drip dispersal is to minimize saturated flow and thus maximize the water contact time with soil particles surfaces.  This work indicates that the 60 cm (24 in) placement of laterals and emitters may cause zones of greater soil moisture conditions between the emitters.  If creating denitrifying conditions is an objective of the absorption system, then the closer spacing could enhance this process.  However, if the primary objective of the dispersal system is to return reclaimed water back into the hydrologic cycle, then increasing the lateral and emitter spacing can be a less costly means of accomplishing that task.

Seniors in Biosystems Engineering at the University of Tennessee must complete a senior design course sequence.  John Buchanan served as a mentor to one group that designed a sequencing batch reactor that included a moving bed bioreactor.  The students designed this reactor to be controlled by ammonia sensors rather than by time.  As a batch reactor, the aeration was maintained until the ammonia level dropped below the predetermined concentration.

Michigan State University (MSU) findings – Land treatment of food processing wastewater can irrigate a crop, provide nutrients, recharge aquifers, reduce energy use, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and save resources.  However, when excessive carbon is land applied, the soil becomes anaerobic and several metals become mobile when reduced.  Although aerobic conditions prevent metal mobilization, denitrification is inhibited under this condition.  Critical for land application is pretreatment and strategic organic and hydraulic loadings to maximize efficient waste management and minimize environmental impacts.  A long-term field study is ongoing that includes direct soil oxygen and moisture monitoring using remote sensors and site visits to make visual observations.  Results show that the control of hydraulic and organic loadings prevent metal mobilization. However, with higher levels of oxygen in the soil, nitrate release may have occurred as denitrification is inhibited. Studies using wastewater pretreatment and cropping strategies are being investigated. Modeling efforts are also underway. The outcome is a change in action and condition in that careful operations and design allow food processors to continue using this land application.  Additionally, using onsite application of wastewater, as compared to treatment in a traditional activated sludge process, reduces greenhouse gas emissions.  Reductions are achieved by not using energy for wastewater aeration, carbon dioxide uptake by the plants grown when using the wastewater, and reduced production of industrial nutrients.

To remove and recycle phosphorous, an engineered reactive iron media coated with nano iron was investigated.  The media's surface precipitates phosphorus from wastewater in a static column.  Such a system requires minimum maintenance, critical for onsite wastewater applications.  Phosphorus removal from wastewater is an environmentally critical issue and the recovery of this scarce commodity reduces greenhouse gas emissions, saves funds, and conserves a valuable natural resource.  Activities for this objective entailed testing the media that have been produced by MetaMateria Technologies, LLC, (Columbus, OH) and comparing its utility to other methods to remove and recover phosphorus.  Performance was evaluated using simulated farm tile drain water and actual wastewater from onsite treatment systems and municipal wastewater treatment plants.  In addition to bench-scale and isotherm testing, a field demonstration using a monolith of media wrapped in fiberglass to form a rector was tested.  This prototype is envisioned to be representative of an actual production module.  These activities help realize the objectives of developing design criteria for a new approach to remove and reuse phosphorus.  Results demonstrated that using the media at the lab scale with an EBCT of 1 hour achieved effluent levels consistently below 0.5 mg/L when the initial concentration was just over 1 mg/L. If the wastewater had no pretreatment, with a starting phosphorus levels of about 7 mg/L, a reduction to just under 1 mg/L resulted. During the field test, the level of phosphorus was reduced from approximately 7.2 mg/L to 0.3 mg/L using an EBCT of 1.5 hours.  The modeling effort showed that the Langmuir Isotherm provided a very good fit but underestimated the media’s capacity. A multiple linear regression model very successfully related the media’s capacity to EBCT, breakthrough, and days of operation.  Outcomes include change in action and condition. A manuscript is currently being prepared and conference proceedings completed.

Rutgers University - Pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCP) are chemicals that have frequent household use.  As a consequence, they contribute to the sewage stream where they are partially degraded during the wastewater treatment process, with the untransformed portion ultimately entering the environment.  Furthermore, this is a concern if low levels remain in surface or ground water that serve as drinking water.  Not only do these compounds have medicinal effects, but they could also behave as endocrine disruptors and have an effect on hormone responses in organisms within ecosystems.  There is virtually no research into the fate of these chemicals in OWTS, and only very limited information has been reported in centralized municipal wastewater treatment systems.  We have chosen to initially target the fate of PPCPs in the latter environment, as these facilities treat a larger volume of waste with more diverse microorganisms. Once we have identified degradation processes and key microorganisms, we can apply this knowledge to decentralized OWTS.

We have evaluated the toxicity of eight PPCPs (naproxen, diphenhydramine, atenolol, bisphenol-A, octylphenol, nonylphenol, triclosan, ibuprofen) to the microbial community of the anaerobic digester.  There were a variety of responses, ranging from nearly complete inhibition of methanogenesis to enhanced methane production.  Toxicity to methanogens was also varied when metabolites of naproxen and diphenhydramine were tested.  We also found that the composition and distribution of the microbial community changed with the addition of individual PPCPs.  This is important for predicting the likelihood that parent compounds and degradation products will be found in the environment.  It is unlikely to see complete substrate mineralization if specific groups within the microbial community are inhibited by the presence of the PPCPs. 

We are currently refining and continue to enrich cultures that are able to degrade PPCPs.  We have identified transformation products of atenolol, naproxen, and diphenhydramine and are characterizing the microbial communities involved in the biotransformation process.  This information will help us to identify and track metabolites in the environment. Furthermore, as we understand more about the responsible members of the microbial community, we can begin to identify genes that can be used as biomarkers for these organisms.  These data are essential for understanding the fate of these compounds as we begin to apply this knowledge to scenarios such as droughts or increasing ambient temperatures that will result from climate change.

One Ph.D., two M.S., one B.S., and three undergraduate students were involved in this Rutgers University research.

Activities  

Project Objective 4 – OWTS Training and Outreach Education

University of Georgia – On June 13 - 17, 2016 UGA staff held a Level II soils workshop for 27 new Georgia Department of Health employees, including a test at the end.

University of Minnesota – During the reporting period, the UMN trained over 2,000 septic professionals in Minnesota in over 50 training events and also delivered training in SD, ND, IA, WI, IL, at the request of states, counties and professional organizations.  UMN developed and implemented new hands-on troubleshooting training focused on advanced technology, collection and cluster systems. UMN staff planned and organized the educational program for a 2015 annual conference in partnership with the MN Onsite Wastewater Association.  In addition, staff assisted in the organization and delivery of the NOWRA annual conference in 2015.

The UMN along with its partner completed work on the development of community septic system owner’s guides (CSOG).  This USDA grant funded project has developed a wastewater decision-making tool for consumers to help to transform rural wastewater management by developing a customizable CSOGs. The website H2OandM.com is a web-interface that allows an individual to produce an expert-driven and locally-customized manual (electronic or hard-copy) CSOG for any single family or cluster soil-based OWTS in America. This tool provides users with fundamental information about the operation and management of various wastewater management systems. A OWTS practitioner or decision maker can use this tool to produce a management plan for either a new or existing OWTS. The developer of any given CSOG is able to assemble a professionally designed guide by selecting situation-specific boilerplate language and graphics and inserting customized content to integrate system-specific permit and ordinance requirements. The tool is now available at H2OandM.com

University of Tennessee at Knoxville - J. Buchanan conducted a continuing education workshop for service providers of advanced wastewater treatment systems in TN.  Service providers must sit through a 12-hour workshop and pass an examination in order to be certified.  Eight people participated in this workshop and became certified Operation and Maintenance professionals in 2016.  J. Buchanan was involved with 6 educational sessions during 2016 and spoke to 150 people about septic system installation, operation, and maintenance.   The scope of these events ranged from meeting with individuals seeking knowledge about their systems, community-level discussions about high OWTS failure rates, state-level meetings with regulators, engineers and soil scientists, to presentations at national meetings.

Oklahoma State University – OSU organized its Inaugural Oklahoma Onsite Wastewater Treatment Conference on October 9, 2015. The 153 participants who attended the Conference were composed of Regulators, Sanitarians, Soil Profilers, Certified Installers, Extension Educators and representatives from various Native American Nations.  After completing an OSU-led a multi-agency curriculum mapping effort to establish a state-wide OWTS Curriculum, course materials have been developed and tested by delivering to target audiences. Some video modules were also developed. OSU also collaborated with the Department of Environmental Quality in conducting two soil profiler certification courses that served 6 participants. The OSU specialist on OWTS also delivered two seminars to various stakeholders. Three short-term courses designed for Extension Educators (two of which were delivered online) were also conducted during the reporting period. We unveiled the Oklahoma OWTS Training and Demonstration Facility in Stillwater, Oklahoma on September 29, 2016. The facility has above-ground operational mock-ups of the various systems that are permitted in OK.

Michigan State University – The Michigan State University Extension Onsite Wastewater Education Program continues.  The program includes homeowner and professional education events and the production of a public service announcement.  Approximately 200 homeowners attended one of the Extension outreach programs.  The advantage of OWTS in regard to energy savings is included. A new 16 hour online training module is now on line for designers and installers.  Five students are currently enrolled. 

University of Rhode Island – During the reporting period, the URI project team delivered 16 talks (6 of which were invited), 6 posters, and 1 webinar to academic and professional audiences throughout the U.S.  These OWTS and climate change presentations were delivered at conferences in RI, CT, MA, CA, MN, and VA; reaching scientists, wastewater practitioners, board of health officials, regulatory decision makers and coastal resource managers.  In addition, we published 5 peer-reviewed papers and one is in review, one doctoral dissertation, and 11 abstracts. The team delivered a total of 38 workshops/ classes in 4 states in the region, reaching a total of nearly 514 practitioners, decision makers and students. These classes provided continuing education credits needed by over 383 licensed professionals to renew their professional licenses.  Classes included indoor and outdoor hands-on venues and ranged from half-day to two-day venues.  Four of the classes had qualifying exams.  During the report period, URI scientists have provided direct OWTS technical assistance to:  Peconic Estuary, NY; Suffolk County Health Dept., NY; and, Westbrook, CT Water Pollution Control Authority. URI conducted required classes which enabled 37 RI and MA wastewater practitioners to receive regulatory jurisdiction approval to design and install bottomless sand filters.

Rutgers University – During the reporting period two presentations and three posters were presented at professional meetings.  Three manuscripts are currently in preparation and two will be submitted by end of 2016.