The lawsuit was filed against the State Department of Health and local county health jurisdictions. It basically said that state and local health regulators could not require a registered Professional Engineer (P.E.) to carry a bond or take any form of test (proving their knowledge in this field) and that only a registered P.E. trained in the on-site field could practice in the design of on-site wastewater treatment systems. If this went to court, around five hundred designers would be put out of work. The suit went to court and was heard by a judge. The judge ruled that design of on-site wastewater systems could be a part of engineering and that a P.E. could not be subjected to further testing or bonding by the local jurisdictions. There was no final ruling on the practice of engineering. The judge just said that the affected parties needed to get together and work it out. If they couldn't, a judgement would be made. All parties and our legislative body worked it out. Legislation was passed in 1999 that made a state designer licensing program. This program will be run through the Department of Licensing under the Board of Registration for Engineers and Land Surveyors. What this did was to finally bring a group of people working in the on-site wastewater industry together to talk. It was started for designers, but in our state, you can be a designer, installer, pumper, and/or maintenance specialist. So at the first meetings, we mostly had designers and installers present. As time went on, we brought all the service providers, regulators, engineers and suppliers into WOSSA. At the present time, the president of WOSSA is an installer, vice president is a designer and installer, secretary a designer and pumper and the treasurer is a manufacturer and supplier.

It was soon decided at WOSSA meetings that the only way we could move ahead in our industry was to raise the standard of care and practice. It was felt that only through education and training could this be done.

North Carolina had started its training center and was looked upon as a good model from which to work. So in 1994, the Northwest On-site Wastewater Training Center was started at the Washington State University Extension Campus at Puyallup, Washington. However, this training center is a little different in its administration than most. Washington State University and the State Department of Health are partners in the center, but WOSSA administers the center. WOSSA hires the training center director and handles all of the finances.

The training center has a Steering Committee composed of all parties interested in the on-site field who help guide the educational and training curriculum. Since WOSSA is made up of all the different service providers in the on-site industry, it was felt that the basic classes being taught on design, installation and pumping should be organized and written by individuals who work in those areas of expertise. Installers with guidance from the Steering Committee would write the lessons and curriculum for installers. Who better knows the woes of installation of on-site wastewater treatment systems than the one who does the work? It was also felt that by using their expertise and experience that other installers would relate to the classes and be more apt to attend. This has helped get installers into the training center and once there, they can see the benefits of the continuation of training. This theme has been carried out for all the basic classes at the training center and I believe it has worked out very well.

Installers who are licensed to do alternative systems have developed new upper level classes. These classes are now being offered to installers in need of more training so they can receive the certificate to install the alternative systems. It becomes a series of classes that motivate the installer to learn more because he can then earn more. Making a profit is why we do business.

Involvement of all members of the community who are interested in the on-site wastewater industry is what is making the training center a success.

This page created by Roland O. Coburn
Reasearch Tech I
on 3/21/00.