Go to the Summit

NOWRA, NEHA and SORA join forces to present a joint conference for onsite professionals in June in Columbus

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An Onsite Wastewater Summit sponsored by three major onsite associations will be held in conjunction with the National Environmental Health Association’s 75th Annual Educational Conference (AEC) & Exhibition in Columbus, Ohio, June 18-20.

This specialty conference is sponsored by the National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association (NOWRA), NEHA and the State Onsite Regulators Alliance (SORA). For the first time, decentralized industry professionals — site evaluators, designers, installers, local and state regulators, manufacturers, service providers and others — will be able to meet in one place to exchange ideas, compare treatment technologies, and discuss topics such as regulatory practices, installation practices, system maintenance and management, and current research.

The organizations have discussed the potential for this event for a number of years. “It is exciting to see this partnership finally form,” says Richard Otis, president of NOWRA. “With the demand for affordable decentralized wastewater systems that can effectively protect human health and our water resources, it is imperative that our organizations partner, work closely together and exchange ideas to meet the needs of the public we serve. I hope this is only the beginning of a productive partnership!”

Nelson Fabian, executive director and CEO of NEHA, adds, “We consider this event a breakthrough in that we’re finally able to offer an educational and networking experience that draws from the collective intellectual capital that all segments of this important industry represent.”

The Summit is designed to bring together regulators, installers, educational staff and industry representatives to collaborate, discuss, network, and exchange information, focusing attention on current wastewater issues and sustainable wastewater solutions.

The Summit offers a forum to educate, train and inform people who have an interest or career in distributed, rural, small-community, onsite wastewater treatment. It will also help participants build a professional network of colleagues and discover new and practical solutions to wastewater treatment issues. In addition to the educational presentations, the events being planned include:

• A field trip tour of local onsite treatment systems being built in the Columbus area, followed by a networking evening at a local establishment.

• A roundtable open discussion of current hot topics, patterned after those NEHA and SORA have organized at their recent conferences.

• A focused track on funding programs that will explore what the industry can do to identify and obtain a share of federal funding for decentralized wastewater infrastructure.

• A contractor’s track offering educational sessions where professionals will review design and installation issues and discuss solutions.

• A Skills Competition where teams of regulators, designers and installers compete for the best scores in quickness and accuracy in solving a problem.

• A Wastewater Alley in the exhibit hall where onsite-related venders will show and describe their latest innovations.

For more information about the Summit agenda and conference registration, visit www.nowra.org.

Eric Casey is executive director of NOWRA. He can be reached at 800/966-2942 or wecasey@comcast.net.



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