NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTALTRAINING CENTER SERVES ASONSITE TRAINING CONDUITBASICTRAININGWith the ever-growing number of onsite wastewater trainingcenters, it helps to have a national, not-for-profit organizationthat's in the business of information sharing.By Diana KnottThe National Environmental Training Center for SmallCommunities (NETCSC) at West Virginia University has trackedthe development of onsite wastewater training centers around thecountry and has helped spur dialogue among them.In a precedent-setting meeting last November, NETCSC and its"sister" organization, the National Small Flows Clearinghouse(NSFC), hosted 22 onsite wastewater training representatives from15 states. Funded by the U.S. Environment Protection Agency,both NETCSC and NSFC had contributed to these centers'development through technology information, vendor contacts,and technical assistance. The program's manager, Dr. John Mori,stated, "We wanted to further the effort by providing a forumwhere training center personnel could exchange information aboutdeveloping and maintaining their programs.""We know there are several excellent, well-established onsitecenters that have the potential to influence the development ofthe new centers by sharing their formulas for success," he said.Since that meeting, the numbers of centers have continued togrow and several states- including North Carolina, Texas, Arizona,Alabama, and Wisconsin- have more than one training center.Some have as many as f<strong>our</strong>.6
North Carolina's f<strong>our</strong> centers include one in the state capitalof Raleigh, which opened this past March. According tothe center's director, Dr. Mike Hoover, the 30-acre NationalTraining Center for Land-Based Technology and <strong>Water</strong>shedProtection is much broader than the other centers."Because the res<strong>our</strong>ces needed . . . are tremendous for acenter of this kind, I don't see other states replicating it inthe near future, which is why we hope it will serve theindustry on a national basis, " Dr. Hoover said.In addition to tracking the development of new onsitewastewater training centers and reporting them in thenewsletter E-train, NETCSC also has served as acommunications conduit among the centers, gathering copiesof the centers' training materials, contact lists of theirspeakers and trainers, and training activity schedules. Thisinformation has been stored in NETCSC's databases andalso sent to each onsite training center.According to Dr. Mori, this communication can help preventcenters from reinventing the wheel by offering access tomaterials and strategies that have already been proven.For example, some centers have acquired "off the shelf"training curricula, such as those offered by the NETCSC,then tailored them to meet their specific needs."In this rapidly growing discipline of onsite training, anexchange of this nature offers valuable learning opportunitiesfor all the participants, from the very experienced to thenewly-initiated," Dr. Mori said. Overall, onsite wastewatertraining centers are becoming a vital component of theindustry."The problems are not local septic tank problems but majorenvironmental issues worthy of respect," said Dr. Paul Trotta,director of the Northern Arizona University training center.Phil Wright, health director of Utah's Wasatch City-CountyHealth Department agrees. "There was a cry from the privatesector for use of new technologiesnot yet allowed in the state, sothere was a need to train andcertify regulators, designers, andinstallers. We think the trainingcenter can be pivotal to gettingthe necessary approval and,ultimately, the use of alternatesystems," he said.certification programs may provide the direct regulatorypush necessary to provide training centers with ongoingsupplies of students."However, it takes more than just facilities, technologies,instructors, and students to run a successful training center."We need to learn more about how to teach and train,"said Dave Lenning, director of Washington's NorthwestOnsite Wastewater Training Center. "We need to knowmore about how to develop classes, class materials, andinstructor aids. We'll need to develop distance-learningconcepts like videos and interactive CDs to assist thelearning process, and we need to understand the hands-onprinciples."NETCSC can help onsite training centers and others locateeducational contacts and materials through its toll-freeassistance line at 1-800-624-8301. NETCSC also maintainsa web site at www.netc.wvu.edu, which includes a "trainingtips" section, and the program discusses training issues inits free quarterly newsletter, E-train, which is available byrequest or via the Internet.On the whole, onsite wastewater training centerrepresentatives believe that the centers will provide muchof the impetus necessary for increasing approval and adoptionof alternative systems and new technologies.Diana Knott, M.S., is the publications and promotionssupervisor for the national environmental services andtraining programs at West Virginia University. Theseprograms include the National Environmental TrainingCenter for Small Communities, Nation Small FlowsClearinghouse National Onsite Demonstration Projects,and National Drinking <strong>Water</strong> Clearinghouse.Also contributing to this article was Diana Duran, MA,former editor of E-Train.The University of West Alabama Training CenterNETCSC Training ResearchAssociate, John Hoornbeek,believes that onsite training centersare likely to succeed for threereasons. "First," he said, "economicand development interests are likelyto support expanded use of onsitewastewater systems. Second,watershed management approachesare likely to call attention toseptage management issues, andfinally, state onsite wastewater7
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