Septic Systems

Webcasts about Onsite Wastewater Treatment

EPA's Decentralized Wastewater Management MOU Partnership sponsors quarterly webcasts to discuss issues of interest to the decentralized community. Below are transcripts, speaker lists, and presentations from each of the webcasts.


SepticSmart Week 2016: Tools and Outreach (9/8/16)

  • Moderator:
    • Kevin O'Donovan, MDB, Inc.
  • Panelists:
    • Heidi Faller, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Wastewater Management
    • Naseera Bland, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Wastewater Management (ORISE)
    • Dorreen Carey, Indiana Department of Natural Resources
    • Septic Service Provider Perspectives: Tom Ferrero, National Association of Wastewater Technicians
  • Presentation:
    ​Click the "" below to start the presentation.


To De or Not to De? - The Centralized Question (6/29/16)

  • Moderators:
    • Heidi Faller, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Wastewater Management
    • Kevin O'Donovan, MDB, Inc.
  • Panelist:
    • Ted Henefin, General Manager, Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD)
  • Presentation:
    ​Click the "" below to start the presentation.


Soil-Based Onsite Wastewater Treatment and the Challenges of Climate Change (7/23/14)


Property Transfer Inspections of Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems: Lessons Learned From Around the Nation (4/23/14)


Role of Certification in Onsite Wastewater Technology Approvals (2/19/14)


Assisting Families and Protecting Public Health - How Arkansas is Utilizing U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Grants for Onsite Systems Repair and EPA's SepticSmart to Educate (8/8/13)

  • Moderator: 
    • Maureen Tooke, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Wastewater Management
  • Panelists:
    • Piper Satterfield, Arkansas Department of Health
    • Maureen Tooke, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Wastewater Management
  • Presentations:

Benefits of Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems (3/6/13)


Research and Tools for Decentralized Systems from Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) and the DWRC (9/18/12)


Public Health and Environmental Perspectives for Sustainable Decentralized Wastewater Management (8/23/12)


Onsite Systems Workshop (6/12/12)

  • Panelists:
    • Joyce Hudson, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Wastewater Management
    • Maureen Tooke, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Wastewater Management
  • Presentation:

National Standards for Decentralized Wastewater Treatment: An Overview of Methods and Criteria for Demonstrating Product Performance (3/8/12)


Supporting Sustainable Rural Communities (1/18/12)

This webinar, featuring speakers from EPA, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and U.S. Federal Transit Administration (FTA), reveals efforts and strategies to foster sustainable rural communities. Topics include livability principles, energy efficiency, water quality, waste, business, building improvements and restoration, transportation, and green building.

  • Panelists:
    • Matthew Dalbey, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Sustainable Communities
    • Annie Goode, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development
    • David Doyle, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7
    • Lory Cappel, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development
    • Fred Bowers, Federal Highway Administration, Office of Planning
    • Andrew P. Blake, City of Ranson, West Virginia
    • John Sprowls, Federal Transit Administration, Office of Planning and Environment
    • Maria Zimmerman, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities
  • Session Summary:

Wastewater 101: The Fundamentals (9/20/11)

  • Moderator: 
    • Maureen Tooke, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Wastewater Management
  • Panelist:
    • John R. Buchanan, Ph.D., P.E., Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science Department, University of Tennessee
  • Presentation:
  • Webcast transcript:

Decentralized Wastewater Needs Data for the Clean Watersheds Needs Survey (CWNS): How and Why It's Important to Your State and EPA (2/15/11)

This joint webinar combines the EPA Decentralized Wastewater Program/MOU Partnership and Clean Watersheds Needs Survey Webinar Series. Attendees learned about the CWNS and New Jersey's experience participating in the 2004 and 2008 surveys, and were encouraged to coordinate early to increase the amount of decentralized data collected in the CWNS data collection that began in April 2011.

  • Moderator: 
    • Maureen Tooke, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Wastewater Management
  • Panelists:
    • Karen Fligger, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Wastewater Management, Clean Watershed Needs Survey
    • Joyce Hudson, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Wastewater Management
    • Eleanor Krukowski, State of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
  • Presentation:
  • Session Summary:

Using Green Project Reserve Funds for Decentralized Projects - Ohio's Success (10/21/10)

This session explores the issue of "Funding Decentralized Wastewater Projects with State Revolving Funds." Attendees learned how Ohio's agencies collaborated to secure more than $3.3 million in funding for decentralized projects through the "Green Project Reserve" provision of the State Revolving Fund (SRF). Attendees also learned about the types of wastewater projects that qualify to receive low-interest, flexible government financial support, other borrower assistance services, and partnerships with other funding sources through presentations by EPA and the Ohio State Department of Health and Environmental Protection Agency.

  • Moderator: 
    • Maureen Tooke, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Wastewater Management
  • Panelists:
    • Rebecca Fugitt, Ohio Department of Health Program, Bureau of Environmental Health, Residential Water and Sewage Program
    • Jim Bonk, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Planning Section, Division of Environmental and Financial Assistance
    • Katherine Hess, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Wastewater Management, Clean Water State Revolving Fund Branch, Green Project Reserve Team
  • Presentation:
  • Webcast transcript:
  • Session Summary:

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