[Owtsinfo] Professional Standards for Inspection, Operation, and Maintenance of Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems

[Onsite Wastewater Treatment System]

Professional Standards for Inspection, Operation, and Maintenance of Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems

The key to environmental protection, minimizing OWTS failures, and maximizing the life of septic systems is regular inspection, proper operation, and regular maintenance.

The DEM is sending out this reminder to the OWTS professional community to encourage all practitioners to attend the inspector training classes that are available at the New England Onsite Wastewater Training Program<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__web.uri.edu_owt_&d=DwIFAg&c=tSLbvWYfvulPN3G_n48TUw&r=mFo_PQgKiG9BdqWd-3e80ftB8ffgqCZgAhuqVNuMqAM&m=SDLQwSFRywEdiZC3o00QKGfm5mLV1GVk-luMjWW1pgU&s=0biRTZJjs81X3hv8CLnwrpjgRr50crjgjjBp85rLDbQ&e= >.

For those of you who have already attended these training classes, you know that there are established standards for inspections. Proper inspection, maintenance, troubleshooting, and diagnosis procedures exist and should be followed in Rhode Island. The DEM strongly encourages all service providers to utilize these tools to avoid unnecessary and premature failure of systems in RI and to avoid unnecessary replacement of systems that may be repaired. One example of the tools that are available for OWTS Professionals is the Residential Evaluation Survey - This checklist is used for protecting the system from owner misuse. Utilize this checklist to spur those important conversations that need to take place between you the professional and system users.

Several guidance documents are available outlining these professional standards and are provided here:

Conventional Systems: Septic System Checkup: The RI Handbook for Inspection<http://www.dem.ri.gov/pubs/regs/regs/water/isdsbook.pdf>

Conventional and Advanced Treatment Systems: O&M Service Provider Checklists<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.onsiteconsortium.org_omspchecklists.html&d=DwIFAg&c=tSLbvWYfvulPN3G_n48TUw&r=mFo_PQgKiG9BdqWd-3e80ftB8ffgqCZgAhuqVNuMqAM&m=SDLQwSFRywEdiZC3o00QKGfm5mLV1GVk-luMjWW1pgU&s=3EQpeq2D7HDtil3m4qlQ7dackB1r7vvHW2KPzjTwPkw&e= > developed by the Consortium of Institutes for Decentralized Wastewater Treatment<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.onsiteconsortium.org_home.html&d=DwIFAg&c=tSLbvWYfvulPN3G_n48TUw&r=mFo_PQgKiG9BdqWd-3e80ftB8ffgqCZgAhuqVNuMqAM&m=SDLQwSFRywEdiZC3o00QKGfm5mLV1GVk-luMjWW1pgU&s=LKenGvQw2xe68wwvw5p5M1hMuB_m28l-8f4QqZQ__mg&e= >.

(Links to these guidance documents are also available on the DEM OWTS website under: OWTS Professionals.)

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Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management
Office of Water Resources - Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (OWTS) Program
235 Promenade Street, Providence RI 02908
Website Address: http://www.dem.ri.gov/septic<http://www.dem.ri.gov/septic>;
OWTS Phone Line: 401.222.3961;
OWTS General Information Email Address: DEM.OWTS at dem.ri.gov<mailto:DEM.OWTS at dem.ri.gov>



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