2015 Spring Note MSO Members, We hope that your spring season is off to a great start in between the spring rains. MSO had a great Conference and Trade Show in Lake Ozark this past January. Great speakers including Sara Heger, Claude Goguen, and many more made the seminars interesting and fun. Mark your calendars for the 2016 Conference on January 19 & 20 with the Pre-Conference on January 18. The MSO Board of Directors is happy to announce that the MSO Show will be returning to the Holiday Inn in Columbia, Missouri. We are very excited about this change and hope you will join us in January. In an attempt to help our organization reach more goals, we are re-organizing our membership fee structure. We are keeping the MSO membership at the $75 level but now if you want to become a member of NOWRA, it will cost an additional $25. One of the other changes we are implementing is when you renew your membership. Currently, it is the same for everyone from January 1 – December 31. Now we will make Annual Membership based on when you purchased it. For example, if you bought your membership on April 1, 2015, then it would last until April 1, 2016. This way you have the full membership benefits for the entire year you are paying for. In addition to our attempt to bring you more benefits, we would like to hear from you. We have developed a survey to get an idea of what you would like us to provide as an organization. Please click on this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SNGLJR7 or fill out the paper copy that you received with your newsletter. We appreciate you taking 5 minutes to help us find out what you need! This newsletter is packed with a lot of information. All of our conference sponsors are recognized in this edition. Be sure to look them up if you made a new contact at the conference. We interviewed one of our long-time members, Dave Dittmer. He gave an overview of his company and why he thinks it’s important to be a part of MSO. Finally, there is a lot of information from NOWRA. They have been up to some exciting stuff. Thank you, as always, for continuing to support our organization. May there be dry soils for you all to get your work done. Michael Bowers, President and Tammy Trantham, Executive Director Included in this issue: 2015 Daryel Brock Memorial Scholarship Recipients Article on Long-time Member: Dave Dittmer Minutes from DHSS Onsite Wastewater Stakeholder Meeting NOWRA News 1 Upcoming Seminars to get your CEUs Missouri Smallflows www.mosmallflows.org 2 Platinum Sponsor for 2015 Conference Missouri Smallflows www.mosmallflows.org Congratulations to our 2015 Daryel Brock Memorial Scholarship Recipients The Daryel Brock Memorial Scholarship program was developed to remember a man who dedicated much of his life to family and progressing the wastewater goals of Missouri. Daryel and his staff literally “wrote the book” when it came to onsite wastewater for the State of Missouri. In addition, he was a very big proponent of installer education. He was a member of MSO and saw MSO as a way to continue that education of installers. This year MSO is proud to announce two $500 scholarship recipients: Frederick Bond, son of William Bond; and Valerie Schlotzhauer, daughter of Warren Schlotzhauer. Frederick Bond will be pursuing a degree at Southeast Missouri State University in Mathematics and Secondary Education. Frederick comes with the highest recommendations from his teachers. Congratulations Frederick Bond! Valerie Schlotzhauer will be attending University of Missouri, Columbia, majoring in Special Education and Child Development and Education. She is motivated to work with elementary students. Congratulations to Valerie Schlotzhauer! Interested in getting involved in MSO? We have several committees that we always need input in. If you would like to become involved in our organization and help us make progress on different topics, join one of our committees. We meet by phone conference only when we need a meeting. By having more of our membership participate we can have a better idea of what you would like to see MSO provide it’s membership! Committees available: Education Committee: Provides input on current and future classes MSO provides. Conference Planning Committee: Provides input on examining conference proposals and activities, along with raising sponsorships to help cover the event Membership Committee: Discusses what MSO needs to bring to it’s membership; helps find benefits that we need and how we can pay for them Daryel Brock Memorial Scholarship Committee: SCHOLARSHIP CHAIRPERSON SLOT OPEN; reviews application before it is sent out, helps raise money at the conference for the scholarship Contact Tammy if you are at all interested in serving on one or more committees. Phone: 417-631-4027 or email: [email protected] 3 Missouri Smallflows www.mosmallflows.org Gold Sponsor for 2015 Conference Gold Sponsor for 2015 Conference 4 Gold Sponsor 2015 Conference Missouri Smallflows www.mosmallflows.org Long-time MSO Member: Dave Dittmer Dave Dittmer has been a long-time member of MSO and supporter of the organization. Every year he renews his membership because he believes it is important to support the association and its goals. Here is a quick interview on what Dave has been up to and a little advice: Q: How did you first get involved in installing onsite wastewater systems? Dittmer: I started this business in 1959. My dad did ditch work and I worked on the septic systems. Septic systems in those days were a 55-gallon barrel and 25 feet of lateral line, add another barrel and the end with holes punched in it and gravel around it. It worked for homes around the lake until people retired and started living there full-time. This was part of the reason we started installing higher quality systems. Now, it’s a family business. Matthew and Patrick, my sons help with the business and now one of my grandson’s does too. Q: How has your company diversified to stay afloat? Dittmer: Doing different kinds of dirt work and maintenance on systems helps pay the bills but also helps you pay a half-way decent wage. Matthew does exceptionally well solving problems for failing systems and making them work. The Dresden job for the school was a recirculating sand filter to drip dispersal. We put in some recirculating sand filter systems, so we train people on how to maintain those systems. Gold Sponsor for 2015 Conference Gold Sponsor for 2015 Conference http://jciind.com/ Gold Sponsor for 2015 Conference 5 Missouri Smallflows www.mosmallflows.org Q: How long have you been a member of MSO and why is it important to be a member of MSO? Dittmer: I served on the Board of Directors for 10 years so I’ve been a member longer. I think it’s important to be a part of a state association. It promotes the industry. Q: Is there a certain benefit you would like to MSO provides its members? Dittmer: Well, one of the big things for small business owners now is insurance. I’m a member of LICA to use liability and machinery insurance. Insurance options would help the membership save some money. Q: What was one of the challenges when you were on the Board of Directors for MSO? Dittmer: One of the big things was that no one would come to the Board Meetings. So I rounded up the members for the meetings in Jefferson City and Boonville back in the day. I didn’t miss very many of them. Q: Why are continuing education classes important? Dittmer: Because. If a person is interested enough in what he is doing, he’ll do classes. Some say once you own a backhoe you’re an automatic septic installer. Since most of the counties have their own inspection that makes a big different. The continuing education you’d be surprised the stuff you learn. It makes that license important to you because you had to do something to hang onto it. As these systems get more and more complicated, it makes it even more important. Matthew Dittmer, Dave Dittmer and Patrick Dittmer pictured www.dittmerditching.com 6 Gold Sponsor Missouri Smallflows www.mosmallflows.org Gold Sponsor for 2015 Conference Diamond Sponsor for 2015 Conference 7 Missouri Smallflows www.mosmallflows.org Diamond Sponsor for 2015 Conference Minutes of March 17, 2015 ONSITE WASTEWATER STAKEHOLDER MEETING State Public Health Lab Jefferson City, Missouri Welcome and introductions Mindy Laughlin, the meeting facilitator from DHSS, introduced herself and gave a brief history regarding her work with DHSS. She explained the objective of the meeting as well as her role as facilitator. She asked each attendee to introduce themselves before they speak so everyone could know who they were. DHSS staff introduced themselves and explained their role with the department. There were 40 stakeholders present. Operation & Maintenance Guidelines for Onsite and Cluster (Decentralized) Wastewater Systems Jim Gaughan gave a presentation on the current status of the O&M Guidelines and explained the purpose of the manual. He gave a brief summary of how the document is laid out and how to use it. Jim also commented that the Onsite Wastewater Treatment Program was working to break the manual down into chapters that would allow users to print chapters as needed rather than the whole document. Some attendees stated they have used the document and found it helpful. A few local authorities have included information about the manual to their citizens. Onsite System Inspections/Evaluations for Real Estate Purposes Eric Folks updated stakeholders on the possible changes that the Onsite Program is looking to 8 Missouri Smallflows www.mosmallflows.org Diamond Sponsor for 2015 Conference 9 Missouri Smallflows www.mosmallflows.org make with the inspection/evaluation procedures. He explained the need for the changes and how the proposed changes would be beneficial to human health, the environment, and new buyers. He also commented how the State Public Health Lab (SPHL) was working to provide reports of water samples in a more expedient way. The goal for the lab was to have this in effect by the end of January 2016. Stakeholders commented about the need to always run water to check for discharge pipes. One comment was made to get rid of evaluations all together. Some would like to see a statement about how the soil survey report is not as comprehensive as a soil morphology report. There were no objections to the idea of evaluations becoming more stringent. Bacterial Testing of Drinking Water This presentation was given by Pat Shannon of the SPHL. He presented information that was useful to licensed private inspectors and regulators. He also gave sampling statistics that compared water sample results to the type of wastewater system serving the property. Data proved that there is a continuing need to conduct water sampling on properties that are served with an onsite system. Following the presentation, stakeholders took a short break. Legislation Eric Folks discussed House Bill 367. He gave a brief overview of the bill and reported the bill has been read twice, but has not moved forward. He then presented concerns that the Onsite Program had with the proposal. Some comments from the group included: Why was this introduced? Passing this bill could cause many bigger problems in the future. Could DHSS notify the LPHAs if there is a hearing? Gold Sponsor for 2015 Conference 10 Missouri Smallflows www.mosmallflows.org Gold Sponsor for 2015 Conference Gold Sponsor for 2015 Conference Gold Sponsor for 2015 Conference 11 Missouri Smallflows www.mosmallflows.org Funding Assistance/DNR Update Charles Harwood, a soil scientist with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), talked about various issues within the department. His first topic was in regards to the types of funding the department had for citizens that need to repair or replace their onsite system. He made comments about how the criteria for the funds are now less stringent than before. The new Pump and Haul Permit was discussed in great detail by Charles and stakeholders. He made it clear that the new MDNR permits discussed were only for systems that do not fall under the DHSS jurisdiction. Another topic discussed was systems that are looking to land apply their effluent onto their own property due to new ammonia limits set by the EPA. Two forms of discharge mentioned were spray irrigation and subsurface drip irrigation. Inventory of Wastewater Systems Throughout Missouri Jim Gaughan presented the last topic on the agenda. State and local agencies would benefit from knowing the number, type, location, age, and status of systems within the state. This is not going to be an easy task and will need cooperation from all departments involved in the wastewater permitting process to provide information. Jim summarized the limited data available and gave examples of ways to gather data. General Discussion/Stakeholder Topics 1. Why does DHSS only allow engineers to design onsite systems? The question was referring to architects being allowed to design systems since architects and engineers are governed by the same board. 2. Are county sanitarians required to act on known failed systems? 3. Does the State govern county sanitarian’s conflict of interest? This question was broke down further with an example of a county sanitarian also being a licensed Onsite Wastewater Treatment System 4. Professional. 5. Can there be a change in the variance rule for lots platted after January, 1996 to allow for owners that are “consolidating lots” to be eligible for variances since they are making the lots bigger? Local Planning and Zoning are requiring landowners to consolidate lots before building which nullifies any variance requests. 6. A suggestion was made to schedule the Stakeholders Meeting with the MSO Conference in the future. http://health.mo.gov/living/environment/onsite/ pdf/StakeholderMinutes31715.pdf Gold Sponsor for 2015 Conference 12 Missouri Smallflows www.mosmallflows.org Diamond Sponsor for 2015 Conference 13 Missouri Smallflows www.mosmallflows.org *Note: NOWRA addressed the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies on March 18. This is the information he presented to the committee. Written Testimony Submitted for the Record By: Tom Fritts, Past President National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association 1199 N. Fairfax Street, Suite 410, Alexandria, VA 22314 www.nowra.org [email protected] Congresswoman, Congressmen, Distinguished members of the committee my name is Tom Fritts and I am the Vice President of Residential Sewage Treatment Company of Grandview Missouri, near Kansas City. I am also the past president of the National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association. I am honored to speak to you today on behalf of the onsite wastewater industry. The purpose of my testimony is to request increased funding for our industry from the Environmental Protection Agency, specifically from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund Program and from the EPA Office of Wastewater. I would first like to describe what the onsite industry is. It is the segment of the wastewater industry which provides sewage treatment when there is no conventional sewer available to do so. While there are slight differences in definition, onsite systems are also called decentralized or distributed wastewater treatment systems. The most widely known onsite systems within our industry are septic tanks; however, it encompasses a wide range of technologies which are designed to serve individual homes, a cluster of homes, a subdivision or small community, as well as commercial and industrial complexes. Regardless of the type of system, they all share a common trait. They take advantage of the vast capacity of soil to remove or transform pollutants that are in the effluent as it percolates through the soil thereby avoiding point discharges to surface waters and maintaining the quality and quantity of our groundwater. By definition, onsite wastewater management systems are a ‘green technology’ because treated effluent recharges local aquifers. A new innovation in decentralized wastewater management is the reuse or recycling of treated effluent. With appropriate safeguards, local regulations or bylaws may allow the treated water to be used for irrigation, toilet and urinal flushing or make-up water for commercial boilers. These applications reduce the demand for potable water and aid in the protection and preservation of the available water sources. Ours is a growing and evolving industry supported by small businesses across the country. In fact, our organization estimates that the onsite wastewater industry employs as many as 150,000 people, virtually all of whom work for small businesses in the private sector. These include not only the companies which manufacture the components of the onsite system, but also the engineers who design the systems and the contractors who install, operate, and maintain them. 14 Missouri Smallflows www.mosmallflows.org More than 65 years ago, my father-in-law who started the family business (which is now in the 3rd generation) would talk about installers who would dig septic tank excavations with a shovel. Most anyone with a strong back could be in the business. Today it takes someone with a strong mind, an entrepreneurial spirit and a knack for running a small business. In my lifetime I have seen the humble back yard septic tank evolve into a range of sophisticated wastewater treatment solutions that lets families live wherever they want and lets businesses locate nearby to serve them, and even provides entire communities with options for treating wastewater so they don’t have to automatically default to an expensive and disruptive sewer project. Onsite and decentralized wastewater treatment systems are an effective solution to protecting water quality. They are a valuable component of watershed management plans and sustainable development programs. Onsite and decentralized wastewater treatment systems can benefit both urban and rural areas by providing affordable solutions and reducing risk to the environment in unusual situations and difficult locations. These systems can provide optimal water management to homes, businesses and industrial centers. Their recycling capability can support water resource management goals in many arid areas of the country. Their use can support municipal wastewater treatment infrastructure by providing options for pretreatment and sewer mining and provide an alternative when centralized plants have reached or exceeded capacity. Virtually any treatment technology employed in a centralized sewage treatment plan can be found in onsite wastewater treatment systems. In fact onsite systems can be designed to provide equal or better levels of treatment as compared to conventional sewage treatment plants. For smaller communities, decentralized and onsite systems can usually be built and maintained for less money than a centralized sewage treatment facility. And for larger utilities, decentralized systems (which they refer to as distributed systems) are an option which can help to offset the exponential increases in capital expenditures faced by utilities in the next two decades as they face replacement of aging infrastructure. As society demands more efficient use of financial resources and sustainable environmental wastewater management, the use of managed decentralized wastewater treatment systems can be an effective solution which satisfies both imperatives There is one other very important benefit…they safely help replenish our dwindling underground aquifers through recharge of treated water onsite. While homeowners and many centralized sewage treatment systems draw their drinking water from underground aquifers, only onsite systems are designed to replenish aquifers. Most centralized sewage treatment systems discharge their treated water directly to rivers or streams where it ultimately ends up in an ocean. Nearly 85 million Americans – more than 25% of the country - are being served by the onsite industry and that number is growing. Because of this, technology has exploded. It sometimes reminds me of the computer industry of 30 years ago. There are a many new technologies which have come online which treat wastewater in ways which are cheaper and more efficient and effective. In fact, nearly two decades ago the Environmental Protection Agency endorsed onsite wastewater systems. Their 1997 Report to Congress on Use of Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems stated that this technology is a viable solution to treating and dispersing wastewater. 15 Missouri Smallflows www.mosmallflows.org Onsite wastewater treatment systems are a permanent part of our nation’s wastewater infrastructure which serves more than 25% of our country. Sadly, our industry faces myriad challenges which have been largely ignored by the EPA. Among these challenges are homeowner education, technical support, lack of support for research, replacement of failing systems and professional education. Congressman Cole I know that as an enrolled member of the Chickasaw Nation you are committed to serving the Native Americans living in Oklahoma and all across our great nation. The onsite industry can help increase business opportunities in Indian country, grow their communities and increase tribal economic development. NOWRA is proud to have recently trained more than 300 tribal community professionals through Rose State College in Oklahoma on septic systems and how to run a septic system business. Congressman Calvert as a lifelong resident of Riverside County, you are experiencing first hand the dire issue of water depletion from our aquifers. Onsite systems such as septic tanks treat wastewater and then disperse it back into the soil where it recharges the aquifers. Most of the water from municipal treatment plants ends up in rivers where it flows to the oceans to become saltwater. Using US Census numbers from 2010 it can be estimated that onsite wastewater systems discharge an average of 9.9 billion gallons of water back to the soil on a daily basis. That is more than 3.5 trillion gallons per year. If I have convinced you that we are an important part of the solution to aquifer depletion, small business growth and infrastructure development I’m sure you are curious to hear how much money we want…We don’t want any…. At least we don’t want any new money. We have two requests. Currently more than 99.5% of the EPA Clean Water State Revolving Fund goes to municipal wastewater and stormwater projects. Less than ½ of 1% goes to onsite wastewater activities – in spite of the fact that more than 25% of the country is served by onsite systems. This pattern of funding has been consistent all the way back to the start of SRF funding in the early 1990s. We believe it is fundamentally unfair that for more than 2 decades, the 85 million taxpayers who use onsite systems have been subsidizing the government-owned treatment plants that serve the rest of the country. We request that for the current fiscal year – as well as future years -- that at least 20% of EPA’s annual contribution to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund be specifically designated to supporting the use of onsite and decentralized wastewater treatment systems and the 85 million taxpayers who use them. We further request that those funds be designated for disbursement and distribution by the authority in each state which has direct regulatory oversight and enforcement authority over onsite wastewater treatment plants. Secondly, EPA has exactly one full-time employee (FTE) who focuses on Decentralized Wastewater. We would like to see at least 20% of the Office of Wastewater’s funding be dedicated to increasing staffing and resources for the Office of Decentralized Wastewater. Among the specific requests: • Place at least one FTE in each EPA regional office to support state and regional initiatives involving decentralized wastewater treatment. • Add at least one “circuit rider” with expertise in decentralized wastewater to each region to support decentralized wastewater project planning and implementation, regardless of the funding source (i.e. USDA, HUD, etc.) • Designate a specialist in the EPA Clean Water State Revolving Fund Branch to assist state 16 Missouri Smallflows www.mosmallflows.org funding authorities in revising policies and project scoring systems to ensure fair inclusion of onsite/ decentralized systems. • Significantly expand EPA’s training of industry professionals through grants to entities which exclusively specialize in decentralized training. • Provide increased direct financial support to the National Environmental Service Center and the Small Flows clearinghouse so that homeowners, business owners and industry professionals have an up-to-date source of information related to onsite and decentralized technology. • Provide funding for EPA’s Septic Smart program so that its materials can be more easily distributed to homeowners. • Provide direct financial and staff support to state onsite wastewater regulators to facilitate increased training of industry regulators and mechanisms to support better enforcement of state onsite regulations. • Expand research grants and onsite wastewater training centers and demonstration projects to help local decision-makers and design engineers better understand the benefits of onsite and decentralized wastewater treatment systems and technologies. On behalf of the National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association and the onsite industry we thank you for your time. Gold Sponsor for 2015 Conference 17 Missouri Smallflows www.mosmallflows.org 18 Missouri Smallflows www.mosmallflows.org 19 Missouri Smallflows www.mosmallflows.org 20 Missouri Smallflows www.mosmallflows.org Gold Sponsor for 2015 Conference Gold Sponsor for 2015 Conference 21 Missouri Smallflows www.mosmallflows.org Gold Sponsor for 2015 Conference Gold Sponsor for 2015 Conference 22 Missouri Smallflows www.mosmallflows.org 2015 MSO Continuing Education Seminars Registration Form Contact Information: First Name: Last Name: Email: Street Address: City: State: Office Phone: Cell Phone: ZIP: FAX: Missouri DHSS License Numbers Installer: Adv or Basic Inspector: OSE: Perc. Tester: Seminar Registration Guidelines (see complete guidelines on website): Registrant is required to notify the Executive Director as early as possible of a cancellation Refund policy as follows (full refund policy available online): Cancellation received more than 7 days prior to seminar, full refund Cancellation received between 2-7 days prior to seminar, 50% refund Cancellation received less than 2 days prior to seminar, Registrant forfeits class fee □ MSO Annual Membership $75 □ May 5 & 6, 2015 Camdenton □ Add NOWRA membership $25 □ May 20 & 21, 2015 National Installer Training Program (2-day) Cape Girardeau High Strength Waste (2-day course) General CEUs: 12.5 General CEUs: 11.75 Cost: $240 (MSO Member) $290 (non-member) Cost: $260 (MSO Member) $310(non-member) Complete schedule on website Send registration form and check at least 2 weeks prior to your class; mail or fax credit card payment to: Missouri Smallflows Organization Attn: Tammy Trantham 2733 E. Battlefield #132 Springfield, MO 65804-3981 Phone: (417) 631-4027 Fax: 1-800-340-7001 Email: [email protected] Add a $5 convenience fee for all credit card payments □ Check here if card billing address same as above Card #: ____________________________________________ Exp: ___/____ CVV: ________ Name on Card: ____________________________________ Card Billing Street Address: _________________________ Card Billing ZIP code: _______________________ 23 Missouri Smallflows www.mosmallflows.org Gold Sponsor for 2015 Conference Platinum Sponsor of 2015 Conference 24 Missouri Smallflows www.mosmallflows.org Fill out our survey! We would like to know what you think of MSO and how we are doing. Please take five minutes and fill out this survey. Click on this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SNGLJR7 Or: Fill out the paper copy included with your mailed newsletter. If you only receive the newsletter by email you can only fill out via the link above. We appreciate your time and helping us work towards goals for you. Missouri Smallflows Organization Membership Form _____ Individual MSO Membership at $75 _____ Add NOWRA membership for $25 _____ Company Membership at $250 (up to 4 people, $65/person after four) _____ I would like a certificate of membership to display at my office. Name: __________________________________________________________________________ Company: _______________________________________________________________________ Additional Members (Company memberships only): 1. ____________________________ 2.____________________________ 3. ____________________________ Mailing address: ________________________________________________________________________________ Email address: ____________________________________________________________________ I would prefer the quarterly newsletter by: ____email or _____mail Phone number: ______________________ Cell Number: ___________________________ License type: _____ Installer _____Inspector _____Onsite Soil Evaluator _____Perc. Tester Send form and payment to: Missouri Smallflows Organization Attn: Tammy Trantham 2733 E Battlefield #132 Springfield, MO 65804 Phone: (417) 631-4027 Fax: 1-800-340-7001 Email: [email protected] Add a $5 convenience fee for all credit card payments _____ Other __Check here if card billing address same as above Card #: _________________________________ Exp: ___/____ CVV: ________ Name on Card: ___________________________ Card Billing Street Address: _________________ ________________________________________ 25 Card Billing ZIP code: _______________________ Missouri Smallflows www.mosmallflows.org Missouri Smallflows office contact information: Phone: 417-631-4027 Fax: 1-800-340-7001 Mailing Address: Missouri Smallflows Organization Attn: Tammy Trantham 2733 E Battlefield #132 Springfield, MO 65804 Email: [email protected] Missouri Smallflows Organization Officers President: Michael Bowers, (417) 868-4147 Vice-Pres.: Sean Bauer, (573) 280-4130 Treasurer: Rick Helms, 417-335-9263 Secretary: Melissa Bettes, (417) 836-8878 Exec. Dir.: Tammy Trantham (417) 631-4027 Board Members Joe Kostelac, (816) 560-6010 Ken Kramer, (573) 243-5488 Kerry Clark, (660) 351-4696 Paul Ganey, (636) 274-4589 Tom DeWitt, (417) 882-8542 26
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