Introduction

The 1999 On-Site Wastewater Treatment Conference has the following objectives:

To provide information regarding best management practices (BMPs) to assure the proper functioning of on-site technologies.
To help gain further knowledge and understanding of how various systems work and why they are selected for various sites.
To understand how on-site wastewater technologies are integrated into an overall land development plan taking into consideration economic, environmental, and public health issues.
To provide information on education opportunities that can enhance job skill.
To offer an opportunity to observe the application of cutting-edge technologies in the on-site wastewater arena.
To provide a chance to interact with colleagues and manufacturers within the on-site community.
To better understand and appreciate how effective communication can be just as important as message itself.

The Third Millennium will begin January 1, 2001 with the number of on-site wastewater systems used throughout the nation steadily increasing. On-site systems have been used throughout the previous millennia and are likely to continue to be used although recent years have been witness to an explosion of new technologies and tools available for those making their livelihood in this field. Increasingly installers, regulators, consultants and homeowners are faced with new and unfamiliar systems and management requirements. Although the theme of this conference is on-site wastewater system technology it must be noted that technology in this instance does not refer only to the nuts and bolts of the system. Technology alone will not solve a problem; it must be properly designed, installed, maintained and inspected in order to protect the public and the environment. Additionally, all of us in this profession must understand that it is the combination personnel, equipment, materials, and training that makes or breaks a system. In this instance the whole is indeed much greater than its parts. Furthermore, we in this profession must strive to educate the public and elected officials about the benefits and limitations of on-site systems or decentralized systems as well as the more traditional centralized sewer system.

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Please address any questions to Dr. David Lindbo.

This page (http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/plymouth/septic2/Intro99.html) was created by Roland O. Coburn on 3/10/00.