Onsite Consortium

The Consortium of Institutes for Decentralized Wastewater Treatment, often referred to as "The Onsite Consortium", is a group of Educational Institutions cooperating on decentralized wastewater training and research efforts. The Consortium also includes people from professional associations, citizens groups, regulatory agencies and private industry.

As funding for centralized wastewater collection and treatment has diminished there has been a dramatic shift in interest among professionals and the public towards decentralized wastewater technologies which can be environmentally compatible and cost-effective.

Consortium affiliates cooperate to:

• Conduct, coordinate, and standarize education, training, and research,  
• Develop, standardize, and share education and training materials,
• Encourage interdisciplinary collaboration among engineering and the sciences,
• Advance commercialization of new approaches and tools for wastewater treatment, and
• Promote multi-sector collaboration and communication among Consortium institutions, professionals, and the public.

New Process for Ordering CIDWT Manuals

The Consortium of Institutes for Decentralized Wastewater Treatment can no longer offer the membership the reduced price on the Installer Manual and the O&M Manual. Please contact Mid-West Plan Service to order manuals for your training events.

Residential Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems: An Operation and Maintenance Service Provider Program

Installation of Wastewater Treatment Systems

Here is the contact information for MWPS:

Kathy Walker  ·  Program Assistant

MWPS-Iowa State University
4306D Elings Hall, Ames IA  50011-3080
515-294-4337  ·  800-562-3618

Decentralized Systems Performance and Cost Project NOW COMPLETE

Small community decision-makers must understand the full spectrum of wastewater management options and long-term implications of their use.  These officials are charged with the responsibility of maximizing the return on the taxpayer’s investment.  In order to make informed decisions, these officials need basic information about the performance, reliability, and cost (both the capital and life-cycle costs) of the various options. Members of the project team have completed development of two separate components for use by small community leaders and planners. A dynamic spreadsheet and a full series of Fact Sheets are now available for use by small communities. These are available for download at the Water Environment Research Foundation website.

Installation of Wastewater Treatment Systems manual NOW AVAILABLE.

The Installer project was completed in November 2009.  The materials produced include a manual with Installation and startup Checklists.  The manual, entitled Installation of Wastewater Treatment Systems is now available for purchase by the general public.  The Installation Checklists describe the key items to be recorded during a maintenance visit are available online. Nearly 240 Diagrams created for the manual are also available.

CIDWT Installer Training and Train-the-Trainer Program Conducted in St. Louis, Missouri.

The first Consortium of Institutes for Decentralized Wastewater Treatment (CIDWT) Train-the-Trainer Academy introducing the new installer training materials was conducted on August 9-12, 2009.  Missouri SmallFlows Organization (MSO) served as the local host for the training event and worked with the St. Louis Plumbing Industry Council to secure the classroom.  This installer train-the-trainer event was conducted following the completion of the Installer Training Program project. 

Eighteen people representing twelve training entities in eleven states attended the Academy.  The attendees currently help deliver training courses offered in Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Virginia.  The instructors and writing team are affiliated with training programs in Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Texas.  Therefore, qualified instructors will now work with training entities located in eighteen states to deliver the installer training materials.

Read the Press Release

List of Qualified Trainers

Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Glossary Second Edition

During the two years since it was released, the CIDWT Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Glossary has been revised and expanded. Additionally, the Second Edition includes terms, definitions and diagrams added during the development of the National Installer Training Program Project. The Second Edition is available for download in PDF format.

Single column PDF with diagrams (139 pages)

New! Two-column PDF with diagrams (91 pages)

National Decentralized Water Resources Capacity Development Project (NDWRCDP)

The NDWRCDP, a cooperative effort funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) supports research and development.

The original development of this web site was supported by the National Decentralized Water Resources Capacity Development Project  with funding provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through a Cooperative Agreement (EPA No. CR827881-01-0) with Washington University in St. Louis.

Subsequent support was provided through a Cooperative Agreement (WPA No X-830851-01-0) with the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) in Alexandria, VA.