To the editor:

We were pleased to read a recent column by Jim Anderson and David Gustafson (Climate Change and Onsite Systems/August 2015) in Onsite Installer. As researchers and outreach professionals working at the intersection of climate change and soil-based wastewater treatment, we are glad to see a publication like Onsite Installer — with a large and broad reach within the industry — bring attention to this important topic.

Here are some resources that your readers may find useful in thinking about the impact of climate change on septic systems:

Cooper, J.A., G. W. Loomis, and J. A. Amador. 2015. Reduced Water Quality Treatment Functions of Soil-based Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems Due to Climate Change; Proceedings of the 2015 NOWRA Onsite Wastewater Mega Conference, Virginia Beach, Virginia. Available online at: http:// www.nowra.org/Files/Resource_Library/NOWRA_Published_Research/Proceedings/Proceedings%202015/Cooper.pdf

Amador, J.A., G. Loomis, and D. Kalen. 2014. Soil-based Onsite Wastewater Treatment and the Challenges of Climate Change. Proceedings of the Soil Science Society of America Onsite Wastewater Conference, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Available online at: https://www.soils.org/files/meetings/specialized/full-conference-proceedings.pdf
 
We look forward to more articles in Onsite Installer addressing the challenges of climate change to the onsite industry.

Jose A. Amador
George W. Loomis
Jennifer A. Cooper
University of Rhode Island