Wastewater Policy
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Response to Congress on Use of Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems (PDF) - This report to Congress examines the feasibility of decentralized treatment as a lower-cost option for the many communities with wastewater treatment needs.
- 2020 Decentralized Wastewater Management Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) (PDF) - EPA and 16 partner organizations are joined by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to work collaboratively at the national level to improve decentralized performance and protect our nation's public health and water resources
- Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems: A Program Strategy (PDF) - This strategy presents EPA's vision, mission, and actions to improve the performance of decentralized wastewater treatment systems, thereby providing better protection of public health and water resources (EPA 832-R-05-002).
- Voluntary National Guidelines for Management of Onsite and Clustered (Decentralized) Wastewater Treatment Systems (PDF)
- Handbook for Managing Onsite and Clustered (Decentralized) Wastewater Treatment Systems - A "how-to guide" for implementing EPA's Voluntary National Guidelines for Management of Onsite and Clustered (Decentralized) Wastewater Treatment Systems.
- It's Your Choice: A Guidebook for Local Officials on Small Community Wastewater Management Options (PDF)
- Decentralized Approaches to Wastewater Treatment (PDF)
- Source Water Protection Practices Bulletin: Managing Septic Systems to Prevent Contamination of Drinking Water (PDF)
- When Is a Septic System Regulated as a Class V Well? (PDF) - This fact sheet is intended to help regulators determine which septic systems should be regulated as Class V wells (EPA 816-F-03-002).
- Class V Well/Large Capacity Septic Systems
- State Permitting Authority links for Class V Wells
- Minimum Requirements for Class V Wells
- Large Capacity Cesspools
- National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)
- A Model Program for Onsite Management in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed (PDF) (guidance document)
- Comments submitted regarding above document and EPA's response (PDF)
Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF)
- Decentralized Wastewater System Reliability Analysis Handbook
- 21st Century Water Management: Restoring the Commons
- Performance and Costs for Decentralized Unit Processes
- Sustainable Water Resources Management Volume 1: Executive Summary
- Sustainable Water Resources Management Volume 2: Green Building Case Studies
- Sustainable Water Resources Management Volume 3: Case Studies on New Water Paradigm
- International Issues and Innovations in Integrated and Decentralized Water Resource Infrastructure
- Creative Community Design and Wastewater Management
- Modeling Onsite Wastewater Systems at the Watershed Scale: A User’s Guide
- Methods for Comparison of Wastewater Treatment Options
- Wastewater Planning Handbook: Mapping Onsite Treatment Needs, Pollution Risks, and Management Options Using GIS
- Application of a Risk-Based Approach to Community Wastewater Management: Tisbury, Massachusetts
- Expanding Communication in Communities Addressing Wastewater Needs
- Smart, Clean, and Green: 21st Century Sustainable Water Infrastructure
- Onsite Sewage Treatment in California and the Progression Toward Statewide Standards
- Guidance for Establishing Successful Responsible Management Entities
- New Approaches in Decentralized Water Infrastructure
- Quantifying Site-Scale Processes and Watershed-Scale Cumulative Effects of Decentralized Wastewater Systems
- Onsite Wastewater Treatment Technology and the Preservation of Agricultural Land in California’s Central Valley Evaluating Customer Response to Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Options
- Integrated Risk Assessment for Individual Onsite Wastewater Systems
- Cluster Wastewater Systems Planning Handbook
National Association of Wastewater Technicians (NAWT)
State Onsite Regulators Alliance (SORA)
- Decentralized/Onsite Wastewater Projects and Programs - Opportunities for Funding
- Decentralized Onsite Wastewater Technologies: Sustainable Green Infrastructure Protects Source Water Quality and Public Health (PDF)
SORA Summaries of State Policies and Practices
- States that requires CEU's for installer licensure 2020 (Excel)
- Residential flow est. by state 2020 (Excel)
- Soil Survey vs. Site Evaluation (Excel)
- Transfer of Title Programs (Excel)
- Transfer of Title O&M Reqs. and Guidance (Excel)
- Tiny Homes Gallon Per Day (PDF)
- State by State Design Flow (Excel )
- Max Daily Flow Allowed Under State Regulation (PDF)
- Medical Marijuana Wastewater (PDF )
- Length of gravity trenches by state (PDF)
- Large Systems (PDF)
- Cost of soil evaluation (PDF )