Knowledge Area: Decentralized Systems

Our Objective

WERF will improve the capacity of public and private agencies to respond to the increasing complexities of, and expanding need for, decentralized wastewater and stormwater systems, as part of an integrated water management approach. WERF will achieve this primarily through support of research and development projects that help communities, engineers, regulators, and others address critical knowledge and information gaps in decentralized systems.

Latest News

EPA Launches “SepticSmart” to Prevent Costly Septic System Problems, Protect Environment

Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched “SepticSmart,” a new program encouraging homeowners to take steps to maintain their home septic systems, preventing costly repairs, inconvenience and pollution to local waterways, which poses risks to public health and the environment.

EPA Releases Draft Model Program to Assist State Septic Programs in Managing Water Quality Impacts in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

EPA has released a draft 'Model Program for Onsite Systems Management in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed' for public comment. The draft provides technical information regarding the elements of a model program for onsite wastewater treatment systems.

EPA Decentralized MOU Partnership Releases Papers Highlighting the Benefits of Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems

The EPA Decentralized MOU Partnership has developed a series of four papers that highlight how decentralized wastewater treatment systems can be sustainable and appropriate options for communities and homeowners. The papers are intended to provide information to the public and to state, local, and industry officials on the benefits and types of decentralized wastewater treatment systems.

Students Create New Guidance Document on Decentralized Systems

Students at the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, created a new guidance document on decentralized systems as part of their Master’s Thesis Project.

Class: New Concepts for Rural, Urban, and Suburban Wastewater Reuse Using Distributed Systems

Examine new, more sustainable water infrastructure systems in this master class, led by industry veteran Victor D’Amato, Principal Investigator for the WERF project “When to Consider Distributed Systems in an Urban and Suburban Context.” More information about this project can be found at www.werf.org/distributedwater.

Products & Tools

Report Reviews Quantitative Tools to Determine Wastewater Soil Treatment Unit Performance

The research (DEC1R06) summarizes available literature on best practices and tools for soil treatment unit (STU) design and performance. It describes STU performance based on data and information from the literature and discusses available modeling tools for constituent modeling.

Report Helps Aid in the Design and Management of Onsite Wastewater Systems

This research (No. 04DEC1) characterizes the composition of modern single residential source onsite raw wastewater and primary treated effluent to aid in the design and management of onsite wastewater systems.

Guidance Now Available for Establishing Successful Responsible Management Entities

New resources provide guidance for successfully establishing and running organizations that manage decentralized wastewater systems -- Responsible Management Entities.

Report Provides Guidance on Modeling Onsite Wastewater Systems

A WERF report gives planners and regulators guidance in developing and using models to evaluate watershed-scale water quality scenarios associated with decentralized or onsite wastewater systems. It includes resources for each step of the planning process, and explains modeling philosophy, model selection, model sensitivity analysis and calibration and other concepts.

Decentralized Stormwater Controls for Urban Retrofit and CSO Reduction (Phase 2)

Learn more about the planning necessary to integrate decentralized stormwater controls for combined sewer overflow management.