Recipient Organization
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
750 AGRONOMY RD STE 2701
COLLEGE STATION,TX 77843-0001
Performing Department
Temple-Blackland Res Cntr
Non Technical Summary
Onsite wastewater treatment systems (i.e., septic systems) serve approximately 25% of households in the United States and are the technology of choice in rural and suburban areas where population density and cost preclude the use of centralized sewer collection and treatment systems. One in five homes in Texas depends on an onsite wastewater treatment system and since early 1990, aerobic treatment systems have become the technology of choice due to growth in areas where soil and site conditions do not allow use of conventional septic systems. During the 21st Century, use of onsite wastewater treatment and reuse systems (OWTRS) are expected to gain popularity as the demand for wastewater reuse increases in both municipal and agriculture sectors. This project supports state-wide applied research, demonstrations, and educational efforts to generate and distribute science-based knowledge related to safe, adequate, and proper use of OWTRS in Texas and elsewhere by working with regulatory, industry, and academic world that share common interests.
Animal Health Component
80%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
10%
Applied
80%
Developmental
10%
Goals / Objectives
1. Develop and deploy a state-wide inventory and mapping system to accurately track permits issued for both onsite water and wastewater systems in Texas annually.2. Build and support a sustained research program to systematically evaluate performance of market ready wastewater reuse technologies.3. Identify existing onsite wastewater reuse facilities in Texas and determine if they are suitable as demonstration projects for evaluating long-term performance.4. Seek out participation in new onsite wastewater reuse facility demonstration projects working with Texas Onsite Wastewater Association or other groups.5. Develop and offer education programs for undergraduate and graduate students related onsite wastewater treatment and reuse at Texas A&M University.
Project Methods
Over the past five years (2015-2020), the PI has been successful in building an OSSF Research Team consisting of Texas A&M University (TAMU) Research Scientists, Extension Specialists, and Graduate Students to implement a program with research, education, and demonstration elements. Included in this effort is the rejuvenation of the OSSF Research Center on the TAMU-RELLIS Campus with support from both the public and private sectors. The current PI and his team have also been successful in securing funding support through state regulatory agencies that has allowed development of a GIS platform capable of supporting state-wide inventory and mapping system for onsite wastewater facilities. Our team will build on these successes and use a research approach to achieve the following five objectives. Objective 1: Develop and deploy a state-wide inventory and mapping system to accurately track permits issued for onsite wastewater systems in Texas annually. A statewide inventory and mapping system are necessary to conduct a systematic research to assess environmental, public health, and economic impacts from use of onsite systems. It is also necessary to implement an effective education and demonstration program to increase public awareness and responsibility for long-term sustainable use of OWTRS as envisioned and outlined in the U.S. EPA Voluntary National Guidelines published in 2003 (EPA 832-B-03-001). Fortunately, in Texas, the state environmental agency (TCEQ) OSSF team maintains an On-Site Activity Reporting System (OARS) database in which permitting activity information from each local entity is recorded monthly. The PI and OSSF Research Team will work with the TCEQ team to obtain raw data annually on the number of permits issued by each permitting entity. A spreadsheet/database will be developed to store and process the permitting data and produce summary information as shown in Figure 2. The PI will also work with TCEQ officials and other state-wide watershed program coordinators to seek funding to continue OSSF mapping in Texas. The Coastal Zone funding has allowed this project to complete OSSF mapping within the Texas Coastal Zone in 2017 and, more recently, complete mapping within the Lampasas watershed. Objective 2: Build and support a sustained research program to systematically evaluate performance of market ready wastewater reuse technologies. Advancing the field of OWTRS requires a sustained funding for research and demonstration program to evaluate performance of market ready technologies. In the absence of any formalized national and regional level funding, a state level funding could make a significant impact for supporting sustained research efforts for advancement in onsite wastewater industry (Jantrania, et. al., 2020). In Texas, with the help from public and private entities, House Bill 2771 was proposed and passed in the 85th Legislative Session that renewed the "$10 per permit research fee law" and asked TCEQ to award competitive grants to support applied research projects related to OWTRS starting 2019. The TAMU-OSSF Research Team was successful during the first round of funding cycle and plans to continue working with TCEQ to secure sustained funding to support future research projects. The team has also been successful in securing second round of NIFA grant to support our REEU (Research and Extension Experience for Undergraduate) summer program, which is also designed to support ongoing research related to OWTRS. Results from the 2019 REEU program were presented at in International Water Conference in New Delhi (Jantrania, 2019). Under this objective, PI will work with the industry group and the state funding sources to build a performance evaluation and demonstration of market-ready onsite reuse technologies. Objective 3: Identify existing onsite wastewater reuse facilities in Texas and determine if they would be suitable for becoming a demonstration project to evaluate long-term performance. Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has recognized wastewater reuse as one of the five water management strategies to meet the growing water demand and reuse of wastewater is expected to provide about 14% of the water demand by year 2070 (Water for Texas, 2017). Both, direct and indirect reuse of wastewater options are evaluated for either potable or non-potable purposes by several municipalities in Texas. While wastewater reuse in a centralized municipal infrastructure has been recognized in Texas, onsite wastewater reuse is not. This project will seek out existing reuse facilities (residential and commercial settings) in operation to determine if they would be suitable for evaluating long-term performance of onsite reuse systems. Detailed case-studies will be developed when an onsite reuse facility/residence is identified for which historic cost and operation data are available. Objective 4: Seek out participation in new onsite wastewater reuse facility demonstration project working with Texas Onsite Wastewater Association or other groups. Onsite wastewater treatment industry has started manufacturing of onsite reuse technologies performance of which are evaluated under NSF/ANSI Standards 350. The PI and OSSF Research Team will work with the Texas Onsite Wastewater Association (TOWA) and other similar groups to develop onsite reuse facility demonstration projects with the goal to document long-term performance and operational challenges and need for service provider training. Objective 5: Develop and offer education programs for undergraduate and graduate students related onsite wastewater treatment and reuse at Texas A&M University. Based on the positive feedback received from the REEU program, there is a need to develop and offer an undergraduate course related to OWTRS. This project will review the textbook recently published by the Springer (Siegrist, 2019) and other material to develop a 3-credit course for engineering students at Texas A&M University. As use of OWTRS becomes mainstream during the next ten to twenty years, homeowner's education programs will also be developed and offered through AgriLife Extension network.