2011 - 2014 NOWRA Board of Director Election Results

NOWRA members elected five individuals to fill open seats on the Board of Directors during the just-completed election, which concluded October 31. The winning candidates are as follows: John Buchanan (academic/research sector), Nancy Deal (compliance monitor/regulator), Russell Martin (engineering/designer), Tony Birrittieri (service provider), and Mike Catanzaro (supplier/vendor). The new board members officially take office December 1 and will serve three-year terms Congratulations!

NOWRA Board of Directors

Executive Committee

President, Dick Otis,Ph.D., P.E., DEE is President of Otis Environmental Consultants, LLC, which specializes in onsite, cluster, and distributed wastewater treatment.  Dr. Otis has been project manager and research director of wastewater facility projects since 1970.  His primary emphasis has been developing low-cost technological and institutional approaches to wastewater treatment in unsewered areas.  Dr. Otis has been involved in research and demonstration of wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal alternatives including assessments of the environmental impacts.  He is a principal author of the EPA “purple manual” and the 2002 Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems manual and the Voluntary Management Guidelines.  Also, he assists counties and states with upgrading their onsite regulatory programs.  Dr. Otis is active in several professional organizations. He is a past NOWRA board member, past chair of the Technical Practices Committee and member of the Model Code Committee.  He is past chair of the Small Community Committee of the Water Environment Federation.  He is a board certified environmental engineer in the American Academy of Environmental Engineers.

President-Elect, Vice-President, Tom Fritts, Vice President of Sales and Co-Owner of Residential Sewage Treatment Co. Inc., Grandview, MO serves as a Operator/ Manager/ Maintenance/Service Provider Sector Representative. Tom entered the onsite industry 13 years ago when he joined RSTC. He is a past member of the Board of Directors and served as the conference chair for the 2002 NOWRA conference held in Kansas City, MO. Tom has served as President of Missouri Smallflows Organization (MSO) and Kansas Small Flows Association (KSFA), both affiliate state groups of NOWRA, and is a current Board member of MSO and KSFA. He is one of three instructors in Missouri teaching the continuing education classes required by the Missouri Department of Health. Tom is an advocate for building trusting and mutually beneficial relationships between NOWRA and the affiliate state groups, strong educational programs and practical benefits for NOWRA members.

Secretary-Treasurer, Gregory D. Graves, General Manager for NORWECO, Inc. serves as a Supplier/Vendor Sector Representative. Greg has been employed by Norweco, a manufacturer of water and wastewater treatment systems and chemicals for the last 12 years. His background is in Finance, Corporate Accounting and Operations Management. He worked in the Financial Services industry for Shearson/Lehman Brothers and KeyCorp before joining Norweco in 1996 as Controller. Active in the onsite industry, Greg is the Treasurer for American Decentralized Wastewater Association (ADWA) and os an active member of the NSF Industry Forum. He has served on the State of Ohio Department of Health Ad Hoc Committee for Rule Revision and participated in the rule writing process in Huron County.

One important issue Greg would like to address during his term is membership retention and expansion, relying on the Board of Directors listening to the membership and taking action. Another critical issue for NOWRA is the increasingly important role that decentralized technologies play in our world. NOWRA has done a very good job in building awareness within the regulatory and design communities. NOWRA needs to continue to push for performance-based standards and uniform technology transfer to further increase awareness within the larger water and wastewater treatment industry.

Past-President, Thomas Groves, is the NEIWPCC  Wastewater and Onsite Program Director. Tom Groves has served as Division Director for the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) since 1990.  As a congressionally authorized not-for-profit interstate agency, NEIWPCC serves and assists its member states—Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont—in many ways.  NEIWPPC’s work focuses on coordinating activities and forums that encourage cooperation among the states, educating the public about key water quality issues, supporting research projects, training environmental professionals, and providing overall leadership in water management and protection. Their initial emphasis was on surface water protection, but that role has grown over the years to include such matters as wetlands restoration, nonpoint source pollution, water allocation, underground storage tanks, and onsite/decentralize wastewater systems.  Prior to NEIWPCC, Tom worked in the private sector for a local Land Survey/Engineering firm as a project manager for residential and commercial developments.  He has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, and is presently pursuing his M.B.A.

Board of Directors

Eugene (“Gene”) Bassett, owner of E.C. Bassett Construction, Inc. in Edgewood, New Mexico, has a general contractor’s license, is a charter member of NOWRA, and member of the Florida Septic Tank Association.  Beginning with NOWRA’s 2000 Conference in Grand Rapids where he gave a presentation entitled “Swimming Against the Flow,” Gene has attended the NOWRA Annual Conferences.  As “self-educated” entrepreneur on the subject of onsite installation processes, he installed his first septic system in 1982, and has been installing alternative onsite systems since 1994 for both residential and commercial use.  Over the years he has implemented design changes to ensure that his systems are proper for the climate, typography and soil in New Mexico.  Gene points out that by necessity, he has become active in lobbying state and local governmental bodies for the enactment of laws and regulations that will improve the onsite industry in New Mexico.  He believes it is important for contractors to be represented on the NOWRA Board because it is contractors who have the practical, first-hand experience installing and maintaining onsite systems. Term expires December 2013

Tony Birrittieri, is employed by Peterson Resources, LLC, which houses companies which provide real estate development, manufacturing of plumbing equipment, onsite wastewater system and component distribution, and onsite wastewater management and operations. The majority of his professional time is spent working with wastewater system designers, engineers, installers and property owners to provide successful wastewater treatment facilities, operation and management. He currently holds a Certified Wastewater Operator’s License, Certified Service Provider’s License, and a Certified Maintainers License in Minnesota. He is also a Certified POWTS Maintainer in the State of Wisconsin. Tony has been involved in the design and installation of over 1,000 onsite wastewater systems. He also oversees the operation and management of over 200 systems ranging from single family homes, residential cluster systems and commercial businesses.

Tony is interested in continuing to promote the value of quality onsite system operation and management. Increasing standards in operation and management will continue to validate onsite systems as long term, sustainable solutions to wastewater treatment and overall public health. He feels that NOWRA should increase the recognition of onsite wastewater recycling and work to improve the nation’s view of onsite wastewater treatment. Term expires December 2014

John R. Buchanan, Ph.D., P. E., is currently an Associate Professor of Biosystems Engineering in the Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science at the University of Tennessee, and has been a faculty member since 2000. Prior to that, he served as a Research Associate in the Water Quality group within this same department.  His experience has largely been focused in two area, wastewater and stormwater.  Since the goal in both cases is to prevent water pollution, he feels that stormwater and wastewater are complimentary research and education topics.  From the perspective of domestic wastewater, he has researched low pressure distribution systems in very shallow soils, the use of drip irrigation for effluent dispersal, and the ability of various fixed-film systems to provide BOD and nitrogen reduction.  Since 2002, he has been active with the Consortium of Institutes for Decentralized Wastewater Treatment (CIDWT), and currently serves as the Chairman of the Executive Board for the CIDWT. Buchanan feels the onsite wastewater industry has failed to encourage new University faculty members to enter this field of study, and he would like to see more young scientists provided with the funding to conduct research and a venue to demonstrate scholarship. Term expires December 2014

Mike Catanzaro, is currently the Director of Water Treatment Sales for Delta Environmental, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Pentair Pump Group, Inc. He has been involved in the on-site wastewater industry since 1994 and has held his current position since then. Catanzaro has been involved in all of the facets of the industry, from state regulations, approvals, NSF certification process, sales, and distribution. He has been manager for Delta Environmental R&D and currently holds 4 patents in wastewater treatment.
Catanzaro’s desire to be part of the board of directors is due to the important role that he sees NOWRA has in our industry. As a representative from the manufacturing side of the industry he sees the need for national rules and regulations. His goal is to support NOWRA’s objectives and to serve its membership. Term expires December 2014

Nancy Deal is currently an Environmental Senior Specialist with the NC Department of Public Health Onsite Water Protection Branch (OWPB) and serves as the Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution Specialist.  Deal has been affiliated with NOWRA for more than 10 years during which she served on the Education Committee.  She has assisted with delivery of the Onsite A to Z program at NOWRA annual conferences and has conducted Installer training on behalf of NOWRA at several Pumper/Cleaner Expositions.  Nancy has also been closely affiliated with the Consortium of Institutes for Decentralized Wastewater Treatment (CIDWT), serving as a member of writing teams, managing several curriculum development efforts and maintaining the CIDWT website.  She was recently named to the NOWRA Tech Practices subcommittee overseeing research on the effects of water softeners on onsite systems.  She is a Registered Environmental Health Specialist, a NC Certified Subsurface Operator, Installer and System Inspector and a NEHA CIOWTS.  Prior to her current role, Deal was a member of the faculty at NCSU for 10 years during which she conducted outreach training and education for industry professionals and conducted research on decentralized wastewater treatment system performance.  Her environmental health career began with 10 years experience as an Environmental Health Specialist on the local level. Term expires December 2014

Michael Hines, currently owns and is the Founding Principal of Southeast Environmental Engineering, LLC. (SEE) As such, he designs wastewater systems to serve individual properties, subdivisions, commercial developments, and small communities. He also owns and is President of a construction company, Utility Capacity Corporation, Inc. (UCC), that builds these and other distributed wastewater systems. Both SEE and UCC operate and manage distributed wastewater systems for clients.

Doug Jatcko, President of Front Range Precast Concrete, services as a Supplier/Vendor sector representative. Located in Colorado, Front Range Precast Concrete manufactures onsite wastewater equipment and has been an environmental steward for over 23 years in Colorado.   As a progressive manufacturer, Doug has bridged the gap fulfilling the requirements of installers, engineers and regulators, and will take these perspectives to the board to help form an impartial leadership and give you a voice.  Doug has experience as a board member for several successful organizations in Colorado.  He has demonstrated the dedication that will be a welcome addition to the NOWRA Board and will help support a national organization that promotes impartial profitability and gives Colorado and the rest of the industry a voice for national codes, standards and initiatives that benefit our entire industry.   Doug’s mission is to make NOWRA a place to learn, grow and profit from doing the right things for ourselves and our businesses.  Doug holds a CIOWT-A Installer’s Credential from the National Environmental Health Association, attended CIDWT’s ‘Train the Trainer’, and has been a member of the National Precast Concrete Association since 1986.   Doug was born and raised in Michigan and holds a B.S. from Eastern Michigan University.  He taught high school before migrating to Colorado in 1970 where he started a concrete construction company building concrete structures and bike paths. Term expires December 2012

Eric Larson has been in the septic industry since 1995. His company, Septic Check, Inc. provides septic system design, installation, operation, service and repair. They specialize in difficult sites, high strength waste and cluster systems. Eric has evaluated well over 1,000 septic systems that were struggling or failing, and the knowledge gained from this experience is applied to their operation. Eric has served as a director for Minnesota Onsite Sewage Treatment Contractors Association and Minnesota Professional Organization of Wastewater Recycling. He participates in the Consortium of Institutes for Decentralized Wastewater Treatment as a Service Provider and Installer, with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency in the Need to Know process used to develop industry testing, and with the Minnesota Onsite Wastewater Association where he currently serves as Vice President and lead testifier at the State Legislature. He has presented on septic system design and operation at NOWRA, state conferences, lake associations, trade associations and numerous private businesses. Term expires December 2013

Russell G. Martin, PE F.NSPE, is the owner of Public Health Solutions, PLLC, an engineering and environmental consulting firm founded in September 2009 in Brunswick, Maine.  He is a Licensed Professional Engineer and a Licensed Site Evaluator in Maine. From 2001-2009 he served Director of the Subsurface Wastewater Program for the state of Maine, overseeing the implementation, interpretation, and administration of Maine’s Subsurface Wastewater Disposal Rules. Prior to that he was part owner and Senior Environmental Engineer for Pine Tree Engineering, Inc., a civil engineering and environmental consulting firm located in Bath, Maine. Before that he served in a variety of positions: Senior Environmental Engineer for Kimball Chase Co., Chief Engineer for Maine-land Development Consultants, Inc., Director of the Wastewater and Plumbing Control Program for the state of Maine, Nuclear Engineering Specialist for the Maine Radiation Control Program, Staff Engineer for the Maine Drinking Water Program. He is graduate of the University of Maine and is a member of the following groups:  Yankee Onsite Wastewater Associatoin, Maine Association of Site Evaluators; Granite State Designers and Installers Association, National Environmental Health Association, and the Maine Society of Professional Engineers.  Martin believes it is critical for NOWRA to serve two functions to its affiliate groups: a common voice at the national level, and a resource to assist with local issues.  Term expires December 2014

Robert “Bob” B. Mayer MSPE, is President and CEO of American Manufacturing Company, Inc., Elkwood, Virginia. He has previously served as a board member and president for NOWRA and was the first President of VOWRA, the “Virginia Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association”. He has 35 years of experience as an engineer in the onsite industry plus a Masters degree in engineering, a Professional Engineers’ license and a Virginia Onsite operators. He is a past President and Tech Practice chair for NOWRA and has participated in many national onsite demonstration projects and state advisory committee meetings. Bob isinterested in continuing to promote better technical standards for onsite engineering applications and promote the enhanced status of Onsite for our nation’s infrastructure.   Both legislators and regulators must be educated to view onsite wastewater as part of the nation’s permanent infrastructure.  NOWRA must continue to enhance its credibility with the EPA and state regulators to provide an objective voice for technical and other issues that confront the industry.  NOWRA should help educate all practitioners to the current theory and standards of practice for onsite wastewater treatment and dispersal. Term expires December 2013

Brent Reagor For the past 9 years, Brent has worked in a variety of capacities and positions within the onsite wastewater regulatory area.  He has served as a Sanitarian for the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals in the East Baton Rouge Parish Health Unit, the Deputy Public Health Director for the Town of Acton, Massachusetts, and currently serves as the Public Health Director for the Town of Concord, Massachusetts.  In Massachusetts, Brent represents all local health departments as president of the Massachusetts Health Officers’ Association (MHOA) and also on a number of state-level regulatory committees, such as Innovative / Alternative Technology Technical Advisory Committee, Onsite Wastewater Regulations Working Group, Groundwater Discharge Regulations Task Force, Reclaimed Water Regulations Working Group, and Continuing Education Certification Committee.

Robert Rubin, Professor Emeritus at North Carolina State University, has been involved in water and wastewater management efforts for almost 50 years and has had a lifelong interest in beneficial utilization of wastewater, wastewater residuals and societal by-products.

Bob has been involved in research, teaching, training, certification and regulatory activities since joining the faculty at North Carolina State University in 1975. He is committed to the vision of the onsite wastewater management industry and that commitment has been demonstrated through the aforementioned involvement. The culmination of these activities has been assisting with the development of the following USEPA publications: Guidelines for Decentralized Wastewater Management, Guidelines for Water Reuse, the Guidelines for Septage Management, the recently released revision of the Design Guide for Land Treatment of Wastewater and several fact sheets and technology documents available at the EPA decentralized website.