Consolidated Treatment Systems Inc.

Public Policy

Consolidated Treatment Systems, Inc., prides itself as a leader in onsite wastewater treatment. Though our primary mission is to provide goods and services related to specific installations of our products, our vision includes the development and maintenance of a national infrastructure that recognizes the importance of onsite wastewater management. To that end, CTS is involved a variety of national issues related to onsite wastewater management.

First, some facts: Over a quarter of the nation is served by onsite wastewater treatment systems. In fact, onsite systems account for over a third of all new development. The actual percentage varies by state and ranges from less than 10 percent to over 40 percent. Of these, The Census Bureau reports that about 10 percent are not functioning. Some communities report failure rates as high as 90 percent. State agencies report that these failing systems mostly traditional septic tank-soil absorption systems are the third most common source of groundwater contamination. Regardless, for many onsite wastewater treatment is the only viable option.

The Environmental Protection Agency recently acknowledged the importance of onsite wastewater treatment as a permanent wastewater treatment alternative. Until then, the EPA and does many state and local jurisdictions view onsite treatment as a temporary solution until municipal service is provided. In its Response to Congress Executive Summary, EPA expressly acknowledges this role.

CTS believes that a national model code a critical component. Currently, onsite systems are regulated by a patchwork of state and/or local regulations that are inconsistent, and in many cases, contradictory. This patchwork is a continuing source of frustration for manufacturers, regulators, installers, and most important, the users of the systems. The National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association proposes a model code. Read its Proposed Development Process.

CTS also believes that all onsite wastewater treatment systems and that includes traditional septic systems must be actively managed, management including servicing, record keeping, documentation, and so forth. To this end, CTS supports active management and maintenance arrangements. The EPA has developed guidelines outlining five alternative management schemes. Read the EPA Guidelines for Management of Onsite/Decentralized Wastewater Systems to learn more about the alternatives.