EPA Decentralized Wastewater MOU Ceremony and Meeting Held This Week

On November 19-20, EPA held its Decentralized Wastewater MOU Partnership ceremony and meeting in Washington, DC. The key objectives of the ceremony and meeting were to officially welcome new partners (National Rural Water Association, National Association of Home Builders, and International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials); reflect on progress made since the 2011 MOU renewal ceremony and meeting; and determine the Partnership’s focus for 2014-2015.

Ken Kopocis, EPA’s Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water and Andrew Sawyers, Director of EPA’s Office of Wastewater Management welcomed everyone to the meeting. During the meeting, EPA staff highlighted the success of past efforts such as the widespread publicity of Septic Smart Week, and the four short papers developed by the Partnership to promote the benefits and use of decentralized systems.   A representative from EPA’s Clean Water Act SRF (CWSRF) program also shared information about the new CWSRF amendments that provide more eligibilities for construction of both publicly and privately owned decentralized systems, and individual homeowners, where CWSRF funding was only available previously for repair and replacement of public water systems. In addition, partner discussions during the meeting resulted in the development of four workgroups that will focus their efforts on marketing, stakeholder engagement, drivers and tools, and the need for another paper to promote decentralized systems as a viable wastewater treatment option for communities.

For more information, visit EPA’s Decentralized Wastewater MOU Partnership’s web page.