Background Use of Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems

This online engineering PDH course describes how onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) have evolved throughout the years along with changing regulations. It also discusses current uses and types (performance-based vs. prescriptive requirements) of OWTS as well as the management program problems associated with such systems. Finally, this course presents initiatives taken to improve onsite system treatment and management.

Onsite wastewater treatment systems have evolved from the pit privies used widely throughout history to installations capable of producing a disinfected effluent that is fit for human consumption. Although achieving such a level of effluent quality is seldom necessary, the ability of onsite systems to remove settleable solids, floatable grease and scum, nutrients, and pathogens from wastewater discharges defines their importance in protecting human health and environmental resources. In the modern era, the typical onsite system has consisted primarily of a septic tank and a soil absorption field, also known as a subsurface wastewater infiltration system, or SWIS.

This 2 PDH  online course is applicable to civil and environmental engineers, as well as design and construction personnel involved with the design and installation of onsite wastewater treatment systems.