NOWRA's 2012 Annual Technical Education Conference

& 4th Northeast Onsite Wastewater Short Course

April 2-5, 2012, Biltmore Hotel, Providence, RI

"This Isn't Your Father's Onsite System"

NOWRA’s recently concluded 2012 Annual Technical Education Conference put a spotlight on the diverse ways our industry’s technologies are being applied to address the challenges facing our nation’s water and wastewater infrastructure.

Through technical and plenary sessions, field trips, and discussions with industry vendors, participants had the opportunity to better understand how innovative onsite/decentralized technologies, management approaches, and policies are being implemented today. Some examples:

• Low impact development measures to manage and treat stormwater, erosion and sediment
• Wastewater treatment regimes which reduce nitrogen and phosphorus to levels comparable – and often better than – conventional sewage treatment and which are scalable to the neighborhood and community level
• Stormwater treatment and reuse through a combination of constructed wetlands and filtration systems.
• Ways in which decentralized technologies for wastewater treatment and reuse are being integrated with conventional water/wastewater systems at the individual, neighborhood, community and watershed level to create more sustainable infrastructure that is more efficient and effective from an economic, environmental and societal perspective.
• New approaches to very large scale drip dispersal systems which provide high levels of wastewater treatment and onsite drip disposal reuse.

As one conference participant stated, “These aren’t your father’s onsite systems.” Indeed they are not. Onsite systems were one of the original green technologies, having been in existence well before the word “green” took on its current meaning. NOWRA is one of the few venues available for sharing the important work being done by industry practitioners to build upon the many advances made by our industry in the past decades.

Why does this matter?  It opens up new markets for you. New technologies allow for more locations where onsite systems can be installed.  New applications of existing technologies – larger scale systems, stormwater management, water reuse and more – provide new opportunities for the industry to expand its reach. Advances in management of onsite systems help inform the regulatory community and increase their willingness to adopt policies which favor the increased use of onsite and decentralized wastewater technologies. It’s one of the many ways NOWRA delivers value to its members.

Session Descriptions

• General Session Overview
• Track II: Management of Onsite Infrastructure
• Track III: Technology
• Track IV: NOWRA Onsite A to Z Course
• Track V: New England and Regional Issues
• Overall agenda

Field Trip Descriptions

• Rhode Island Innovative Wastewater and Stormwater Technologies Tour
• Connecticut – Old Saybrook and Old Lyme

Conference Exhibitors

• Exhibiting companies

Conference Hosts:

In addition to NOWRA and YOWA, the following groups are participating as sponsors of the Annual Conference:

New England Water Environment Association
USDA’s Northeast States and Caribbean Islands Regional Water Center