You are invited to a Zoom webinar.

When: Nov 27, 2023 04:00 PM Brisbane

Topic: On-site & Decentralised Wastewater: International Perspectives

Register in advance for this webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_uhNSVPwvTxaTiYwsmLBlrg

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

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Webinar Speakers

Jerry Hanna (CEO/Chairman @Clearflow Group Inc.)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerry-hanna-6a68551a/

Jerry Hanna is the CEO and Founder of Clearflow Group Inc and has 30 year’s experience related to water and water treatment systems and 11 years consulting experience in mining application. Jerry is a Canadian indigenous business owner and is highly experienced in working in rural and remote locations. He has experience in Environmental Impacts, Water Treatment System design and application, Sediment and Erosion Control Construction, Surface Water Management, Water Treatment Systems and has completed projects in Canada and internationally.

Dr. Sara Heger (@Onsite Sewage Treatment Program in the Water Resources Center at the University of Minnesota.)

Dr. Sara Heger is a researcher and instructor in the Onsite Sewage Treatment Program in the Water Resources Center at the University of Minnesota. 

Since 1999, she has been providing education and technical assistance to homeowners, small communities, onsite professionals and local units of government regarding onsite wastewater treatment. 

Sara coordinates the research program at the UMN and is currently, serving as the principal investigator on projects evaluation wastewater treatment and rest areas and developing training related to the land application of industrial wastewater. 

Heger is on the faculty of the Water Resources Science program, teaching Sustainable Waste Management Engineering. She presents at many local and national training events regarding the design, installation and management of septic systems and related research. 

Sara is the president of the National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association (NOWRA). Sara serves on the NSF International Committee on Wastewater Treatment Systems. She is also the chair of the Minnesota State Advisory Committee on Decentralized Systems.

Dr Laurence Gill (@Head of Department, Trinity College Dublin at Trinity College Dublin)

Laurence Gill is a Professor in Environmental Engineering in the School of Engineering, Trinity College Dublin. 

His research interests involve studying the fate and transport of both air and water-borne pollutants in the natural and built environment, as well as the development of passive treatment processes. 

Much of the work involves extensive field studies which are then used to develop mathematical models to gain further insight into the processes. 

Prior to joining at Trinity College in 1999, he spent several years working in the UK water industry on the design of water and wastewater treatment processes for urban populations.

Dr. Gill was a presenter in the 2021 online course – To Perc or NOT to Perc! See https://vimeo.com/625935784?share=copy

Full event at https://vimeo.com/showcase/10709014

Dr. Anish R. Jantria (Associate Professor / Extension Specialist at Texas A&M University System @Biological & Agricultural Engineering Department at Texas A&M University)

linkedin.com/in/anish-jantrania-2748202a

Dr. Anish Jantrania is an Associate Professor/Extension Specialist in the Biological & Agricultural Engineering Department at Texas A&M University. 

He is based at the Blackland Research & Extension Center in Temple, Texas. 

Dr. Jantrania has over 25 years of experience working in the wastewater industry, in the public and private sectors, with a focus on On-Site Sewage Facilities (OSSF/septic systems), and decentralized wastewater systems used in areas not served by public sewer. 

His research and extension interests focus on sustainable infrastructure to ensure the availability of clean water to meet society’s water demands, and to ensure safe sanitation to protect public health and environmental quality. 

Before coming to Texas, Anish has worked in Virginia, Massachusetts, and West Virginia, and has studied in West Virginia, South Carolina, Ohio, and India. 

His work in Texas will focus on developing a statewide extension education and research program related to surface and groundwater quality protection with specific emphasis on non-point sources, OSSF, and other environmental issues. His work will also focus on education and research needs in water treatment technologies (such as desalination), water capture and multiuse, and conservation technologies that address identified needs in both agricultural and urban sectors.

Ben Kele (Host of Today’s webinar, Director Arris Water, Board Chair WasteWater Education 501(c)3 )

Director at Arris Water, Rockhampton, Australia Director and co-founder of Arris Water a company that specializes in decentralized water treatment and recycling systems. Co-developer and lecturer in the ICEWaRM Post Graduate course the Engineered Water Cycle. Co-developer and co-lecturer in the IWES Decentralised Wastewater Treatment Systems course. 

Researcher in Zeolites and other volcanic filter media

Co-developer and co-lecturer in the ICEWaRM Coal Seam Gas Water course

Full Bio https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-kele-9220aa23/

Still responding to water and wastewater training and disaster management issues in Ukraine, Operators Without Borders is conducting online and in person activities in Poland.

They are in immediate need of donations and support to pay for technical translators: English to Ukraine and Polish to Ukraine.

If you can help in any way please see https://operatorswithoutborders.org/donate/

https://www.epa.gov/septic Check out the excellent advice available here!

National Water Quality Month is dedicated to making the most of the relatively small amount of fresh water we have, because having clean water is vital to our individual health, our collective agricultural needs, and the needs of our environment.

Just try to imagine what life would be like without easy access to clean water. There would be no fountains to quench your thirst when you’re out on a hot day. No more pools, and no more lakes and rivers clean enough for recreational activities. No more hour long showers. No more drinking water straight from the tap, or even filtering it through your Brita. No more running water in your house, period. In short, our lives would be totally different, and not for the better.

We have been thinking a lot recently about loss. About Lahaina and British Columbia, about Ukraine and those pummeled by typhoons.

The water and wastewater professions are a generous and open hearted bunch of people – we see problems and we want to fix them.

We have previously posted of ways to contribute to Lahaina recovery but how does the human soul get past the not knowing, the endless speculation and bogus rumors that seem to flare as quickly as the fires themselves?

There will be no funerals for some of the victims. Take a breath and give the animosity a break – please. Blame is inevitable but for now channel the anger in to doing something for those who have lost everything.

It seems to us that taking a moment to think about words and how they can be a salve or a sting is the essence of walking a mile in another’s shoes?

And that the internet will keep replaying what you said years from now.

We were reminded of that just last week when a new business owner reached out to ask if we could say something nice about his efforts to bring a new professional attitude to a company he has just taken over.

Here is a young man trying to rebuild a living and still plagued by vile comments made, on social media of course, about the previous owner. And some of these still available comments are from 4, 6, 7 years ago?

Recovery is needed – starting with a recovery of basic human kindness – as shown by the outpouring of help for Lahaina.

The most effective immediate contribution is monetary donations to established community-focused organizations with a strong track record of efficiently distributing funds where they will have the greatest influence. These include:

1. Hawaiʻi Community Foundation’s Maui Stong Fund
2. Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement’s Kākoʻo Maui Fund 
3. Maui United Way’s Maui Fire Disaster Fund 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/photography/interactive/2023/deadly-hawaii-wildfires/

Contribute to High-Impact Organizations

The most effective immediate contribution is monetary donations to established community-focused organizations with a strong track record of efficiently distributing funds where they will have the greatest influence. These include:

1. Hawaiʻi Community Foundation’s Maui Stong Fund
2. Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement’s Kākoʻo Maui Fund 
3. Maui United Way’s Maui Fire Disaster Fund 

Please give generously!

On Monday, July 24, 2023, from 1:00 – 2:30 pm (eastern time), the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA) is hosting a webinar as part of their series on Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). The webinar will feature presentations from Virginia, Colorado, and Pennsylvania that will discuss HABs coordination across state programs. For more information and to register, click here.

NGWA publishes guidance on tracking pollution via groundwater

https://www.ngwa.org/detail/news/2023/06/06/ngwa-publishes-guidance-on-tracking-pollution-via-groundwater

Assessing the Microbial Risks and Impacts from Stormwater Capture and Use to Establish Appropriate Best Management Practices

https://www.waterrf.org/research/projects/assessing-microbial-risks-and-impacts-stormwater-capture-and-use-establish

And ……