Civil & Environmental Engrg 697J - ST- SmallCommWater&WstwtrSyst

The needs of small water/wastewater systems in rural and tribal communities, and in small cities differ from large urban and mostly centralized systems as a result of their size and related availability of resources to manage water and wastewater infrastructure. Behavior of small water/wastewater facilities often does not scale linearly to large centralized systems, particularly for on-site and user-operated treatment units such as private wells and septic tank/soil treatment units. Although socio-cultural, geographic and economic factors may differ widely, the premise of this class is that sustainable planning, design and operation of water and wastewater facilities in small communities depend to a great degree on factors associated with their size. Factors include reliability of community source water supplies, permits and other regulatory requirements for wastewater system monitoring and compliance, workforce availability and training, higher unit costs, and material supply logistics. Unique benefits include increased community participation in governance and decision-making, faster communication with stakeholders, and localization of recovered resources including water reuse, nutrients and waste-produced energy. While these subjects are germane to many communities, this course will not focus on developing community problems and approaches.