| What
is the National Small Flows Clearinghouse (NSFC)?
 The
NSFC helps America's small communities and individuals solve
their wastewater problems to protect public health and the
environment. Community leaders as well as individual homeowners
can benefit from the NSFC's services.
As a
nonprofit organization, we provide objective information about
onsite wastewater collection and treatment systems for communities
of less than 10,000 people. The NSFC is the only national
resource of its type dealing with small community wastewater
infrastructure.
Why
would the general public need to know about wastewater issues?
At least
a quarter of the homes in the U.S. are not connected to city
sewers, and many homeowners take care of their own wastewater
treatment with septic tanks or other onsite systems. Without
proper maintenance, these systems can malfunction, potentially
causing environmental and public health problems and lowering
property values.
When a
septic system fails, raw wastewater can pond on individual
properties, exposing children, parents, and pets to life-threatening
pathogens. This, combined with the fact that many thousands
of homes in rural America do not possess any available means
of sewage treatment, results in raw sewage from individual
homes running into drainage ditches, drinking water wells,
local streams, lakes, and rivers. In coastal areas, untreated
wastewater destroys fisheries and contaminates recreational
areas. And when it floods, raw wastewater is released into
the environment.
Many Americans
are exposed to these possible threats to their health and
environment. In many cases, the U.S. taxpayer cannot afford
the costs of a centralized collection and treatment system
to solve this problem. The NSFC can help.
How
can the NSFC help?
The NSFC
helps communities and individuals find a means of collecting,
treating, and disposing of wastewater that's the most suitable
for their situation. We do this through a variety of services,
which include:
Technical
Assistance
Hotline—One
phone call reaches engineers, technical assistants, and customer
representatives eager to help small communities with wastewater
treatment problems. Call the NSFC toll free at (800) 624-8301
or (304) 293-4191.
Educational
Products—The
NSFC maintains an inventory of more than 386 free and low-cost
books, brochures, videotapes, design manuals, case studies,
and other educational resources.
Computer
Databases—The
NSFC maintains perhaps the most comprehensive clearinghouse
of information available about small community wastewater
issues. Our databases contain abstracts of articles from trade
and scientific journals, listings of small system manufacturers
and consultants, innovative and alternative treatment facilities,
and wastewater regulations to answer callers' questions and
provide appropriate referrals.
Publications—The
NSFC offers two publications to help readers find wastewater
treatment solutions that clean up the nation's rivers and
streams and protect public health while saving thousands of
dollars. Subscriptions to both publications are free by request
to U.S. residents and available to international customers
at a nominal cost.
- Pipeline:
Approximately 20,000 government regulators, health officials,
community leaders, and educators receive Pipeline,
an NSFC newsletter designed to inform local officials and
the general public about alternative technologies.
- Small
Flows Quarterly: Nearly 45,000
subscribers receive the NSFC's magazine, Small Flows
Quarterly, which features news and educational articles
about a variety of wastewater issues. Also included is a
section for peer-reviewed research journal papers dedicated
solely to the topic of small wastewater systems.
Web
Site—This Web
site provides wastewater industry news, online educational
resources, as well as discussion groups for networking with
others around the nation. Our site also includes the latest
issues of NSFC's magazine and newsletter, a listing of environmental
conferences and events, and links to other wastewater-related
Internet sites.
Where
is the NSFC located?
The NSFC
is housed in the National Research Center for Coal and Energy
at West Virginia University (WVU), one of the nation's doctoral-granting,
major research institutions. WVU is in Morgantown, West Virginia,
a town of 26,000 residents plus approximately 22,000 students.
It is located 75 miles south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
How
long has the NSFC been around?
The NSFC
was established in 1979 under an amendment to the 1977 Clean
Water Act. Since that time, the NSFC has become a respected
national source of information about "small flows" technologies—those
systems that have fewer than one million gallons of wastewater
flowing through them per day, ranging from individual septic
systems to small sewage treatment plants.
How
is the NSFC funded?
The NSFC
is funded through a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency.
How
can I contact the NSFC?
You can
e-mail us at: info@mail.nesc.wvu.edu
or call or write us at:
National
Small Flows Clearinghouse
West Virginia University/NRCCE Building
P.O. Box 6064
Morgantown, WV 26506-6064
Phone: (800) 624-8301 or (304) 293-4191
Fax: (304) 293-3161
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