Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

University of Georgia – Mussie Habteselassie

Provided an overview of the research projects happening at UGA, relating to loading of contaminats to a lake, digitizing septic systems and developing water resources management plans.

North Carolina State University – Matt Ricker

NCSU presented an overview of the ongoing research relating to digitizing septic systems and quantifying effects of climate change

Sergio Abit – Oklahoma State University

University of Tennessee – John Buchanan

The University of Tennessee reported on new funding that had been awarded to evaluate the nitrogen balance used by the state of Tennessee.  This model is used to determine the hydraulic loading community-scale of drip dispersal sites such to ensure that a drinking water well near the site would be exceed the standards for nitrate.  With this funding, the group will attempt to monitor nitrogen movement and transformation under two active dispersal areas.  One particular focus will be to determine if sufficient organic carbon remains in the soil to drive the denitrification process.

University of Arizona – Kitt Farrell-Poe

Presented overview of online training and new undergraduate course relating to onsite wastewater treatment systems.

Ohio State University – Karen Mancl

Presented a new online course of study to instruct sanitarians and other onsite wastewater professionals to act as a soil practitioner to assess sites for onsite wastewater treatment and assist soil scientists in site evaluations. Eighteen (18) hours of on-line instruction was developed in three segments: soil depth and vertical separation distance, soils in the landscape, and water and soils.

University of Minnesota – Sara Heger

The University of Minnesota (UMN) provide and overview of the current staff and programs.  Highlights include educating over 100 septic system professionals and 100 homeowners on chemicals of emerging concern, develop a spray operator manual and new college course.  Research activities focus on evaluating groundwater mounding and the treatment of CECS.  In addition, 2 full scale pilot systems for treatment of salt wash down water were installed and tested.  The UMN also lead efforts to complete a survey from across the US to identify research needs in the industry.

Rutgers University – Abbie Porter & Lily Young

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products are emerging contaminants that enter the environment through incomplete removal during the wastewater treatment process. We established enrichment cultures with anaerobic digester sludge to grow pharmaceutical degrading microbes in the laboratory and identify transformation products. We have two undergraduates engaged in research projects. We have developed course materials based on our research to use in Environmental and Pollution Microbiology. Dr. Porter has created a new lab activity for Environmental Microbiology Lab in which students are evaluating the extent to which a personal care product can be degraded by soil microbes. Further work will be done to examine the microbial communities involved in pharmaceutical transformation and identify additional biochemical or genetic biomarkers for pharmaceutical metabolism.

University of South Florida – Daniel Delgado & Jenelle Mohammed

USF gave an overview of nitrifying biofilter research for saline wastewater.

University of Rhode Island – Jose Amador & Alissa Cox & George Loomis & Owen Placido

Presented research findings on N-reducing soil treatment areas piloted in Barnstable County, MA and described efforts to pilot similar systems in Charlestown, RI. Owen Placido presented Master’s research project goals to monitor performance of layered soil treatment areas installed in Charlestown, RI for N-reduction performance and contaminants of emerging concern. Provided an overview of New England Onsite Wastewater Training Program activities.

Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center (MASSTC) – Sara Wigginton

Gave an overview of the types of activities the MASSTC has going on, including testing new advanced treatment technologies, piloting other novel wastewater-related technologies (e.g. EPA-sponsored nitrogen sensor challenge) and collaborations/advising communities on advanced onsite wastewater infrastructure.

Project Objective 1 - Improve our understanding of the interactions among wastewater, soils, biogeochemical cycles and processes and treatment performance (contaminant removal) of existing and novel wastewater treatment technologies in different geographic regions and landscapes over time and considering climate change.

Ohio State University (OSU)

Treatment of seawater salinity sewage. In water stressed areas, flush toilets using fresh water are unsustainable. Research explored the ability of intermittent sand bioreactors (ISBs) to treat seawater salinity septic tank effluent for on-site wastewater treatment in coastal regions. Two ISB designs, sand only and layered sand and gravel, are compared for treatment efficacy. Six columns of each design were constructed in the laboratory and dosed four times per day, for a total hydraulic loading rate of 4 cm/day, with artificial seawater salinity septic tank effluent over 21 months. Average TOC and ammonia removal for both designs averaged >90% and >96%, respectively. No statistically significant difference existed in the percent removal or effluent concentrations between the two designs. Half of the columns of each design produced effluent with >4 mg/L ammonia at least once during the study, resulting in discontinuation of wastewater application for seven weeks. This resting approach resulted in effective treatment for up to 9 months (limited by the end of the study). The results indicate that both ISB designs can treat artificial seawater salinity septic tank effluent, but that an additional 1/3 capacity is needed to maintain a consistent hydraulic loading rate while accounting for resting ISBs when treatment efficacy declines.

North Carolina State University (NCSU)

Understanding spatial relationships among existing on-site systems, soil types, and coastal zone flooding. Coastal soils in North Carolina are highly variable, ranging from excessively drained sands to very poorly drained organic soils. Therefore, not all permitted on-site systems will have the same response to flooding due to sea level rise over the next century. Change in mean sea level height will disproportionately impact low-lying areas and septic systems with higher seasonal water tables. A major limitation to our current ability to plan for sea level rise is lack of site-specific soils data. There is currently a great need to augment our existing soils information for planning purposes. One major data product currently not available to the public is the Soil Survey of the Outer Banks, North Carolina, Part II, Soil Maps. This soil survey was completed in 1977 and includes soil maps completed at 1:12,000 scale that have never been digitized. These data could be extremely useful for comparison with our contemporary 1:20,000 soil surveys for land planning purposes that require more site-specific soils information.

In 2021, we have manually scanned paper maps at high resolution (600 DPI) and create georeferenced TIF files of all maps from the Outer Banks Soil Survey for use in GIS (total 384 maps within 8 coastal counties). Using these data, we have begun to quantify shoreline location change and soil map unit composition between the 1977 and 2021 soil survey information to understand changes in properties related to on-site system performance. In addition, we have also collected raw LiDAR data (4 TB total size) from all coastal counties in NC (n = 17) for further evaluation of ground water and sea level rise projections relative to on-site system locations. Project non-thesis Master of Soil Science (MR) student Sarah Jordan successfully completed her project requirements and graduated in May, 2021.

Michigan State University (MSU)

Computational fluid dynamics modeling of the transport of nutrients applied to soil is ongoing.  The amount of phosphorus applied to crop land that leached below the rootzone has been correlated to precipitation intensity, soil type, soil horizon, and quantity of nutrient applied.  Much progress has been made on formulating the model and streamlining the input of data.

University of Minnesota (UMN)

The UMN is evaluating water tables and groundwater mounding at 25 existing systems with automated water level recorders year- round.   This data is being used to evaluating what level of vertical separation to a periodically saturated condition is maintained at each of these sites; and does the groundwater below these systems mound up either during high wastewater discharge times or wet climatic periods.

Chemicals of emerging concern (CEC) sampling is occurring at three highway safety rest areas and a land application site to determine design parameters affecting treatment.  Samples were collected prior to soil treatment, in the soil itself beneath the systems and in monitoring wells and evaluated for CECs.   The water samples were also analyzed for general wastewater contaminants.  The work will continue for 1 more year.

The UMN evaluated the performance of two moving bed bioreactors for the treatment of high chloride wastewater for the purpose of reuse.

Rutgers University

We are monitoring pharmaceutical biodegradation activity in enrichment cultures to understand the biodegradation potential of household pollutants under anoxic conditions, including municipal waste treatment systems and freshwater environments. Our next steps are to genetically characterize the microbial community that is responsible for pharmaceutical biotransformation and evaluate the presence of genetic markers that indicate biogeochemical cycling of carbon by these organisms.

University of South Florida (USF)

Passive Nitrifying Biofilters for Onsite Treatment of Saline Domestic Wastewater (Daniel Delgado, Sarina J. Ergas, Maya Trotz). A solution to water scarcity issues that is used in many coastal communities is to use seawater for toilet flushing. However, the production of saline wastewater from these systems presents a challenge to onsite wastewater nutrient removal systems.  This project is evaluating the performance of passive biological nitrogen removal systems for treatment of saline domestic wastewater.   Two laboratory-scale systems were set up side-by-side in the laboratory to treat saline and non-saline wastewaters.  Each system consisted of a septic tank, unsaturated biofilter containing lightweight expanded clay aggregate media to promote nitrification and a downflow submerged biofilter containing sulfur pellets and sugarcane bagasse to promote denitrification.  Oyster shells are included in both stages as a slow release alkalinity source.  Research is ongoing, but preliminary results show excellent BOD, suspended solids, and total nitrogen removal in both freshwater and saline systems. 

University of Rhode Island (URI)

Mesocosm– and Field–Scale Evaluation of Lignocellulose–Amended Soil Treatment Areas

for Removal of Nitrogen from Wastewater. Non–proprietary N–removal onsite wastewater treatment systems are less costly than proprietary systems, increasing the likelihood of adoption to lower N inputs to receiving waters. We assessed the capacity of non–proprietary lignocellulose–amended soil treatment areas (LSTAs)—a 45–cm–deep layer of sand above a 45–cm–deep layer of sand and sawdust—to lower the concentration of total N (TN) in septic tank effluent (STE) at mesocosm and field scales. The work was done in collaboration with the Barnstable County (Massachusetts) Dept. of Health and Environment and funded by a grant from the US EPA Southeast New England Program. The mesocosm received wastewater for two years and had a median effluent TN concentration of 3.1 mg/L and TN removal of 60–100%, meeting regulatory standards of 19 mg/L or 50% removal. Removal varied inversely with temperature, and was lower below 10^oC. Removal was higher in the mesocosm than in five field sites monitored for 12–42 months. Median effluent TN concentration and removal met the standard in three continuously–occupied homes but not for two seasonally–occupied homes. Sites differed in temporal pattern of TN removal, and in four of five sites TN removal was greater—and effluent TN concentration lower—in the LSTA than in a control STA containing only sand. The performance of non–proprietary LSTAs was comparable to that for proprietary systems, suggesting that these may be a viable, more affordable alternative for lowering N inputs to receiving waters.

N-reducing Layered Soil Treatment Areas (LSTAs). In collaboration with the Town of Charlestown, RI, the research group at URI successfully obtained regulatory approval from the RI Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) to pilot a novel non-proprietary low-cost drainfield option designed to reduce nitrogen from septic tank effluent at up to 10 sites in Charlestown RI. These experimental LSTAs facilitate sequential nitrification (in a sand layer) and denitrification (in a sand layer mixed with sawdust) as septic tank effluent percolates through the layered system, into the underlying native soil and ultimately into groundwater. This effort is funded in part by tax revenues from the Town of Charlestown, as well as components of competitive multi-year grants obtained from the National Estuary Program awarded to Suffolk County (NY), Town of Charlestown (RI) and URI in October 2020) and the USEPA Region 1 Southeast New England Program’s Pilot Watershed Initiative awarded to the Town of Charlestown, URI and other partners in September 2021). These N-reducing layered soil treatment area (LSTA) systems will be installed in Nitrogen-sensitive portions of the coastal watersheds in Charlestown, RI to replace substandard or failing conventional septic systems. At least four systems are scheduled to be installed in the spring of 2022, with additional systems going into the ground over the summer of 2022 as time and funds allow. Each system will be sampled monthly for common wastewater quality parameters to determine nitrogen-removal performance. If time and funds allow, we also hope to analyze and compare these systems’ ability to treat or remove contaminants of emerging concern (e.g. PFAS, pharmaceuticals) and compare their performance to proprietary advanced wastewater treatment systems. If performance data are favorable, these systems may become approved technologies in RI and offer a lower-cost alternative to more expensive proprietary technologies required in Nitrogen-sensitive watersheds, reducing the cost burden on homeowners while protecting public and environmental health.

University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture

Using new funding, we are evaluating the effect of climate change on a nitrogen balance used by the state of Tennessee to regulate small community drip dispersal systems.  As written, the precipitation input is based on monthly, 5-year return period storm event and assumes 100% infiltration.  In the southeast, the apparent affect of climate change seems to be a greater number of high intensity, short duration rainfall events.  We intend to evaluate how this changing rainfall pattern will effect the determination of a 5-year storm and how the precipitation will effect the dilution of the nitrogen content in the soil.

Project Objective 2 - Examine watershed-level impacts of septic systems on water quality and other environmental parameters in suburban, rural and coastal areas.

University of Georgia

Evaluation of nutrient and bacteria transport from shoreline OWTS to Lake Lanier in GA (2021, Dr. David Radcliffe). The study to determine if shoreline OWTS on Lake Lanier, the drinking water source for much of Metro Atlanta, contribute N, P, or E. coli to the lake is on its second year. The monitoring of groundwater wells along the shoreline at 7 home sites that vary in age of system, distance from the drainfield to the lake, and annual water use is continuing. Previously, a HYDRUS hillslope model that accurately predicts the Cl and N concentrations at one of the home sites was developed. Results so far indicate nitrate is between 4 to 6 mg/L range at homes with distances less than about 70 m. Concentrations of total P are below 0.1 mg/L and we have found no evidence of E. coli. This project is in its final phase. Full report is expected to be released in in 2022 upon approval by the funding source (Gwinnett Country, GA) that has largely limited sharing of results before the project ends.

Developing An ArcGIS toolbox for Automating Digitization of Septic Systems (2021; Dr. Nandita Gaur).  While septic systems are often cited as a potential source of contamination of water bodies, counties seldom have digitized information on septic system location and ages. As such, this project's objective is to develop an automated system based on GIS and Remote sensing to populate such a database for Jackson County, GA. The project is in its second year and, we will report results in the future as more progress is made.

Pike County Plans for the Future by building on the Upper Flint Regional Water Plan (2021; Drs. E. Bauske and M. Habteselassie). This is a new project that started in 2021 with funding from GA Environmental Protection Division. The objective is to develop a 30-year water resources management plan that ensures the water welfare and needs of Pike County are met in a way that is fully supportive of the Upper Flint Regional Water Plan.  The plan is to work with a consulting company and Pike Water Planning Committee that include members representing all the cities in County. The plan will project future demands for water, wastewater treatment, and septage handling, recommend best alternatives, and establishes preliminary cost-estimates. It will also take inventory of the existing facilities and their performances, including septic systems. The County is mainly rural and heavily dependent on septic systems for wastewater treatment and disposal. So far, we have hired a consulting company that has started gathering the relevant information from the County on existing facilities to digitize them.

Michigan State University (MSU)

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. MSU has a long-term research project entailing soil monitoring at a wastewater irrigation site used by a major food processor.  This system remotely monitors soil oxygen, temperature, and moisture levels.  There are also over 40 water monitoring wells that provide parameters that are correlated to sensor readings.  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 occur as denitrification is inhibited.  Cover crops research at this site has been initiated to control nitrogen.  The emphasis is on selecting the most suitable plants as maintaining cover crops in the wet soil can be challenging.

An additional laboratory study is examining the impact of fertilizer types on the movement of nutrients.  Various wastewater biosolid’s management are practices are being examined, including dewatering, digestion, pelletizing, and torrefying.  The impact of the nutrient form is also being correlated to the soil microbial community.  All laboratory column testing and nutrient analyses are complete.  Microbial community evaluations are ongoing.

Ohio State University (OSU)

Bacterial Movement in Subsurface Soil during Winter Irrigation of Reclaimed Wastewater. Processes to remove and inactivate Escherichia coli from wastewater effluents and drainage are complex and interrelated. The objective of this study was to determine if irrigation of undisinfected wastewater effluents in the winter moves bacteria to surface water through subsurface drainage, posing a public health risk. The central Ohio study site, an open meadow constructed in the 1970s, is irrigated with lagoon effluents each summer. The irrigated area has subsurface drainage that collects for discharge in one spot. Undisinfected wastewater from a stabilization pond was irrigated for the first time in the winter of 2013/2014. E. coli was measured in the subsurface discharge during the irrigated winter season and compared to the non-irrigated previous winter season. Soil temperature and moisture were also monitored. E. coli moved to subsurface drains when the water table was above the drain. E. coli also moved to subsurface drains when the shallow soil temperature dropped to near freezing. With less winter sunlight and minimal evapotranspiration, the soil stayed moist near field capacity. Temperature appears to be the most important factor in limiting natural inactivation in subsurface soil and allowing the movement of E. coli in undisinfected wastewater effluents to the subsurface drainage systems. The results show that winter reuse of undisinfected wastewater does pose a public health risk to surface water through subsurface drainage. Therefore, disinfection of wastewater effluents used for irrigation is strongly recommended

University of South Florida (USF)

Assessment of Water Quality Improvement from Septic to Sewerage Conversions (Jenelle Mohamed, Sarina J. Ergas, and Mahmood Nachabe). A number of Florida counties and municipalities have initiated OSTDS conversion to sewerage projects, with the goal of improving surface water quality.  However, the effect of these programs on water quality is difficult to quantify because nutrients result from numerous sources, thus masking the specific impact of OSTDS conversions. This study investigated whether water quality improved in a small urban watershed after connecting OSTDS to central sewers. Red Bug Slough (RBS), a 3 square mile sub-basin in Sarasota County, Florida was selected for this analysis due to the large number of OSTDS conversions carried out within the catchment (528 total).  RBS also had a long record of water quality data (15+ years) from a 2.8-mile creek that bisects the catchment. Importantly, confounding factors were minimal, as land uses and fertilizer policies were stable throughout the study period.  Therefore, water quality changes were likely attributed to OSTDS conversions.

OSTDS abandonment permits granted between 2005 and 2020 were obtained from FDOH in Sarasota County. Water quality data were obtained from Sarasota County Coastal Creeks and FDEP, including total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), ammonia, NOx, turbidity, chlorophyll-a, and total suspended solids (TSS) concentrations.   Data sets were organized into pre- (Jan. 2005-July 2010) and post-conversion (Aug. 2010-Dec. 2020) periods. A baseline concentration was also established for each water quality parameter based on a 1.5 year period (6 months prior to conversion initiation and 1 year after).  A lag period was estimated for each OSTDS conversion based on its proximity to RBS and the surficial aquifer velocity. Concentrations deficits from the baseline were calculated for the post-conversion era and regressed against the cumulative number of conversions considering the lag period.

Ammonia and NOx concentrations decreased by ~ 50% during the post-conversion period; however, regression statistics predicted that only 18% of TN deficit and 7% of TP deficit were due to OSTDS conversions. Based on the water yield of the RBS sub-basin, the estimated mass load reductions for TN and TP were 58 kg-TN/year and 23.1 kg-TP/year, respectively. Assuming an initial load of 7.34x10⁴ kg-TN/year and 2.8x10⁴ kg-TP/year from all OSTDS discharging to the shallow groundwater in the watershed, only 0.08% of TN and 0.2% of TP loads were reduced.  OSTDS conversion programs should be considered in areas where conditions significantly inhibit effective OSTDS treatment such as high OSTDS densities, close proximity to receiving waters and shallow water table depths.

University of Rhode Island (URI)

Groundwater Tables along the southern RI Coast. We continue to collect long-term groundwater table elevation data from sites along the southern RI coast in proximity to coastal waterbodies. Three more wells were installed in collaboration with the Weekapaug Foundation for Conservation (Westerly, RI). These data will help us understand how groundwater table elevations vary among seasons and how groundwater table changes in response to storm or extreme tide events scale across the southern RI coast. Next steps are to conduct soil profile descriptions to determine whether redoximorphic characteristics in sandy soils offer reasonable estimates of the seasonal high groundwater table for septic system design purposes, and whether regulations on the design of septic systems in coastal regions adequately ensure robust system design that is resilient to climate change.

Project Objective 3 – Develop educational materials and tools to acquaint the public and practitioners about management, operation, maintenance and health issues related to OWTS in light of system performance, and the need for adaptation to climate change.

University of Arizona

As an Extension Specialist (outreach professional), I education and train onsite wastewater treatment system (OWTS) practitioners in the soil and site evaluation, design, installation, operation and management, and inspection of onsite wastewater treatment systems, and inform homeowners and users of onsite wastewater treatment systems how to better manage their systems to prolong their useful life while protecting human health and the environment. This is done through formal training classes (1 to 2 days each) and informal seminars for homeowners. Exit surveys are conducted to obtain knowledge gained for the homeowners. Exams are given in several of the trainings for practitioners.

Target Audience: OWTS Practitioners

• Short-term Outcomes: Creation of jobs, more knowledgeable and competent practitioners, protection of human health and the environment
• Outputs: information, publications
• Activities: training classes, website maintenance
• Milestones: training 200 OWTS per year about the proper site evaluation, design, installation, and operation and maintenance of OWTS to protect human health and the environment

Target Audience: Homeowners

• Short-term Outcomes: Reduce cost to the homeowner, protection of human health and the environment
• Outputs: information, publications
• Activities: Informal seminars, website maintenance, answering questions
• Milestones: 1 homeowner seminar per year to protect their investment and to protect human health and the environment

University of Georgia

1). Participation in the Athens Water Festival.  In the UGA Water Resources tent we displayed a) what items should and should not be flushed through the use of an educational game (image below), b) we demonstrated how a septic system works with a model septic and distribution system (image below), c) we demonstrated how different paper products (i.e. toilet paper, flushable wipes, facial tissue, and paper towels) breakdown when stirred and, d) we had some distribution system components available to show water festival participants.

2). A freshman seminar class at the University of Georgia was started in Fall2021. The class was titled “The three “S”s of Water Resource Management.  The three “S”s were Erosion and Sedimentation Stormwater and On-Site Sewage Management.  As part of the class for the On-Site Sewage Management section I took in “Poop” emoji cupcakes and lemonade.

3). We participated in SepticSmart week 2021 by posting videos that went along with the topics suggested by the EPA.  The videos can be seen at https://site.extension.uga.edu/water/on-site-waste-treatment/

4). A PowerPoint presentation produced was distributed to 6 County Extension Agents who then presented septic basics to their communities.

Michigan State University (MSU)

The Michigan State University Extension Onsite Wastewater Education Program continues. The program includes homeowner and professional education. The advantage of onsite systems regarding energy savings is included.

Ohio State University (OSU)

Online training for soil and site evaluation. Ohio regulations require the soil evaluation work be done by either a certified soil scientist or a registered sanitarian. However, sanitarians receive no soils training. With a shortage in the number of qualified soil scientists, the state regulations have caused unprepared sanitarians to conduct site and soil evaluations. Sanitarians are asking for training opportunities. The goal of this course of study was not to try to replace the certified soil scientist, but rather it is to instruct sanitarians and other onsite wastewater professionals to act as a soil practitioner to assess sites for onsite wastewater treatment and assist soil scientists in site evaluations. Eighteen (18) hours of on-line instruction was developed in three segments: soil depth and vertical separation distance, soils in the landscape, and water and soils. After a pilot offering to three sanitarians and one contractor in 2019 the course was offered the summer of 2021. Ten sanitarians enrolled and completed the first segment and one completed all three segments. Students watch videos, read text material and journal articles and complete assignments and quizzes. The online soil course is filling an important training gap for sanitarians.

University of Kentucky (UKY)

The University of Kentucky offered three public training courses on the evaluation of sites and soils for on-site waste management systems. The course is primarily attended by Registered Sanitarians and other public health workers. The course is a 4 day course that covers basic geomorphological and soil descriptions, hydrologic functioning of soils, and in-field experience describing soil profiles. Trainings were offered in October 2020, March 2021, and July 2021. A total of 20 participants completed the trainings this year.

University of Minnesota (UMN)

UMN training program continued to evolve due to the pandemic with both in person and virtual events being held training over 1,000 septic system professional on the design, inspection, installation and service of septic systems.  Staff planned and organized the educational program for 2021 virtual annual Minnesota Onsite Wastewater Association conference.  In addition, staff assisted in organizing and delivering the National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association virtual annual conference in 2021.

Through a grant from the Minnesota Department of Health, the UMN presented education materials to increase the knowledge regarding chemical of emerging concern for those served and managing septic systems both in the classroom and through virtual events.   A report was published document this successful project. 

A new upper level college course was thought for the first time with 21 student taking Sustainable Waste Management Engineering.

University of Rhode Island (URI)

Redesigned New England Onsite Wastewater Training Program Website. We redesigned the program’s website (uri.edu/owt/) to be more user-friendly, with explicit sections for professionals and homeowners. The homeowner section includes new content (videos, photos, descriptions) and links to and content from the USEPA to help end users of septic systems better understand this critical water treatment infrastructure in terms of function, best practices and operation and maintenance requirements. Next steps are to host in-person homeowner workshops at the wastewater training center at URI to give homeowners opportunities to see and learn about these systems using the demonstration systems at the center.

Updated training content for wastewater professionals. We have revised many of our training courses to incorporate recent research findings on system performance, vulnerability to climate change and to engage in fruitful discussions with professionals on how to design, install and maintain systems that are robust and resilient in terms of both wastewater treatment performance and long-term susceptibility to changes in groundwater tables, precipitation and coastal hazards (e.g. sea level rise, storms). To hold one of our most important classes of the year, Vendor Field Day, while still observing best practices in terms of COVID-19 exposure mitigation, we redesigned the training to incorporated rotating small groups of professionals to interact with vendors and our program staff at eight stations throughout the day. This design was very effective in increasing participant engagement and led to more meaningful questions and discussions among participants and vendors, and was very well-received by all who attended. We plan to offer more courses in this modality in the future, as appropriate, and incorporate successful elements of this approach into future offerings. We continue to offer in-person and virtual training opportunities, and plan to convert some of our more frequently offered prerequisite courses required to fulfill certain licensing categories into self-paced online modules.

Changes to infrastructure and use of the New England Onsite Wastewater Training Center Facility. With the help of a dozen volunteers who contributed a combined 53 volunteer hours we created a new access point to the wastewater training facility at URI, which allows participants to enter the training center directly from a public access point instead of traversing an actively grazed livestock pasture. Efforts are underway to redesign parts of the center to create a better outdoor learning space to host training workshops for professionals, students, homeowners and other members of the public. We are collaborating with landscape architects and other professionals to develop plans and proposals to allow the training center to serve as a model of low-impact development and green infrastructure components. Collaborations with faculty from other departments at URI are underway to facilitate undergraduate student engagement in the training center, with roughly 400 students scheduled on various field trips at the center in the next year. We hope to incorporate students into homeowner events as well, to provide students the opportunity to engage with members of the public and develop both technical knowledge of onsite wastewater treatment as well as important communication skills.

Rutgers University

Our work examines the removal of household contaminants, including pharmaceutical and personal care products, to improve water quality and produce tools for monitoring water quality. The laboratory research is assisted by two undergraduates, who are gaining valuable experience in maintaining the microorganisms and measuring pharmaceuticals. We teach undergraduate and graduate students that are majoring in Environmental Science and will be future wastewater treatment professionals. We have incorporated our recent findings into the curriculum for our Environmental and Pollution Microbiology course. Dr. Porter created a lab module for Environmental Microbiology Lab that gives students experience measuring these contaminants.

University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture

On March 10, 2021, John Buchanan delivered a workshop for Extension Agents on Water Well Construction and Maintenance.  The agents were given a copy of the powerpoint presentation to modify for use in their counties.

On May 20, 2021, John Buchanan delivered a workshop for Extension Agents on Septic System Management and Maintenance.  The agents were given a copy of the powerpoint presentation to modify for use in their own counties.

Tennessee has seen a tremendous influx of new residences.  New housing has been limited only by the ability of contractors to secure lumber and other supplies.  Most of these new homes are on municipal systems, there are still many that are not.  The Tennessee team is in the process of developing new Extension bulletins for new (and existing) homeowners on septic systems.

University of Georgia (UGA)

Publications:

Capps, K., Gaur, N, Callahan, T., Orrego, A., Bloyer, D., Higgs, K., and Johnson, D. 2021. Disparities between the demand for on-site wastewater treatment systems and treatment options for septage. EST Water 1:2251-2258.

Presentations:

Capps, K. 2021: Piled high and getting deeper: imbalances in the demand for septic systems and the ability to treat septage. Annual Meeting of the Society for Freshwater Science. Online. May 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mSsR-qGK0c

Capps, K., 2021. Engagement of individual stakeholders enhances understanding of community water infrastructure. Georgia Water Resources Conference. Online. Oral Presentation. March 22-23, 2021.

Connelly, K., Gaur, N., McDonald, J., Capps, K. Assessing relationships between patterns of septic tank maintenance and environmental variables in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia Annual Meeting of the Society for Freshwater Science. Online. May 2021

Scott, C., Capps, K., Gaur, N., Gordon, J. and Abney, R. Characteristics of septic leach field soils impact on urban tree health. SSSA Annual Meetings, Salt Lake City, UT. Nov 2021.

University of Minnesota (UMN)

Heger, S. and S. Larson  2021.  Contaminants of Emerging Concern - Septic System and Private Well Education and Well Testing.  https://septic.umn.edu/sites/septic.umn.edu/files/mdh_umn_well_and_septic_report_2021_1.pdf

Koski, B. and S. Heger 2021.  MnDOT Truck Wash Water Reuse for Brine Production.  https://septic.umn.edu/sites/septic.umn.edu/files/umn_brine_reuse_report_final.pdf

Michigan State University (MSU)

Hauda, J. K., Safferman, S. I., & Ghane, E. (2020). Adsorption Media for the Removal of Soluble Phosphorus from Subsurface Drainage Water. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2020, 17(20), 7693. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17207693.

Ohio State University (OSU)

Conroy, K and K Mancl. 2021. Treatment of seawater salinity sewage with intermittent sand bioreactors. Water Science and Technology. DOI 10.2166/wst.2021.423

• Ding, G, K Mancl, J Lee and OH Tuovinen. 2021. Bacterial movement in subsurface soil during winter irrigation of reclaimed wastewater. Sustainability. 13:1-10. Doi.org/10.3390/su13179594
• Mancl. K, T De Victoria and B Slater. 2021. Online training for soil and site evaluation. Proceedings National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association Conference. San Marcos, TX Oct. 19, 2021. 7 pages. https://www.nowra.org/Customer-Content/www/CMS/files/Paper_Mancl_NOWRA2021_Online_training.pdf
• Mancl, K. and R. Kopp. 2021. Low-cost treatment of food processing wastewater. OSU Extension Fact Sheet AEX-771. The Ohio State University. 7 pages. https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/aex-771

University of South Florida (USF)

Presentations:

Ergas, S.J. (2021) Passive Onsite Wastewater Nutrient Removal, Florida Water Environment Association (FWEA) West Coast Annual Roundtable Luncheon, Tampa, FL, April 29, 2021.

Publications:

Mohammed, J., Nachabe, M., Ergas, S.J. (2021) Impact of the Removal of Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal Systems (OSTDS) on Surface Water Quality, Final Report to Florida Department of Health, Nov. 21, 2021.

Mohammed, J. (2021) An Assessment of Nutrient Improvement in Surface Water Due to the Conversion of Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal Systems to Sewerage, MS Thesis, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of South Florida. 

Mohammed, J., Ergas, S.J., Nachabe, M. (2021) Assessment of Water Quality Improvement from Septic to Sewerage Conversions, Florida Water Resources Journal, in review. 

Delgado, D.A. (2021) Passive Nitrifying Biofilters for Onsite Treatment of Saline Domestic Wastewater, MS Thesis, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of South Florida. 

University of Rhode Island (URI)

Cox, A.H. & G. W. Loomis. (2021). “Silver linings of the COVID era: structured rotating small-group approach improved engagement in outdoor technical education.” Manuscript in review at Journal of Extension.

Ergas, S., J. Amador, T. Boyer, and E. Friedler. 2021. Special Collection Announcement: Onsite and Decentralized Wastewater Management Systems. Journal of Sustainable Water in the Built Environment 7 (3) 02021001.

Görres, J. H., and J. A. Amador. 2021. Fauna. In Principles and Applications of Soil Microbiology, 3rd ed. (T. J. Gentry et al., Eds.), p. 181-212. Pearson, Upper Saddle River, NJ.

Ross, B. N., K. P. Hoyt, G. W. Loomis, and J. A. Amador. 2020. Effectiveness of advanced nitrogen-removal onsite wastewater treatment systems in a New England coastal community. Water, Air and Soil Pollution 231(11): 1-10.

Wigginton, S., J. Amador, B. Baumgaertel, G. Loomis, and G. Heufelder. 2021. Mesocosm- and field-scale evaluation of lignocellulose-amended soil treatment areas for removal of nitrogen from wastewater. Water 13 (15), 2137 https://doi.org/10.3390/w13152137