Problem Statements From responses to open-ended questions related to future needs and challenges, we identified common themes and then devel- oped 10 problem statements for workforce education, training, and outreach. These statements represent important opportunities for the practice of decentralized wastewater and distributed water reuse. 1. There is a decline in the number of onsite wastewater professionals due to an aging workforce and retirements. The onsite and distributed water reuse workforce consists of many highly expe- rienced, long-term professionals who are retiring at increasing rates, especially over the next 5–10 years (U.S. EPA, 2021c). Almost one half of our survey respon- dents reported having at least 20 years of experience working in the profession. As noted previously, 37.0% of survey respon- dents indicated that they plan to retire within the next 5 years, which is greater than the reported percentage (26%) of environmental public health profession- als working in health departments who plan to retire within the same period (Gerding et al., 2019). This anticipated high number of professionals planning to retire creates the problem of who will train new professionals in the future. The decline in professionals is an even larger issue given the fact that the field of decentralized wastewater is experiencing further growth, with 17 of 34 occupations designated as “Bright Outlook” jobs (U.S. EPA, 2021a). There already are a large number of existing onsite systems nation- wide that require routine maintenance— and newer, more technologically complex systems are installed each year at increas- ing rates. The number of students study- ing environmental health alone in higher education, for example, is insu¤cient to meet this need (Brooks et al., 2019; Gerd- ing et al., 2019). 2. University-level programs in onsite wastewater that train new professionals and conduct critical research on decen- tralized systems are limited. As noted during listening sessions held by the U.S. EPA at the 2018 NOWRA Mega- Conference and the 2019 NEHA Annual Educational Conference, increasing oppor- tunities for onsite and distributed water
FIGURE 3
Primary Type of Work Performed by Decentralized Wastewater and Distributed Water Reuse Professionals
1 8
1 6
1 4
1 2
1 0
8 6 4 2 0
A B C
D E F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M N O
P
Q
Primary Type of W ork in the Prof ession
Note. A = engineer; B = environmental health; C = installer; D = designer; E = regulator at tribal, territorial, or state level; F = academic researcher; G = service provider; H = public inspector; I = academic educator; J = soil scientist; K = government researcher; L = soil evaluator; M = pumper; N = operator; O = private inspector; P = regulator at federal level; Q = funder.
Continuing Education and Training As part of the NOW-R 2 survey, we asked respondents four questions about their con- tinuing education and training (Table 1). When asked about the frequency of com- pleting continued education, 72.8% of the surveyed professionals reported completing continuing education annually, whereas oth- ers reported every 2- or 3-years (12.1% and 3.4%, respectively) or more than once per year (3.8%). Most respondents (64.0%) indicated that they had completed training within the last year, and over 90% completed training in the last 3 years. Over one half completed training in person (52.7%), while 39.3% com- pleted training virtually. Although only 7.9% of respondents did not attend continuing edu- cation over the previous 3 years (2018–2020), this number increased to 36.0% in the past year and thus the lower numbers might have resulted from the global COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic was specifically identified by 15.0% of respondents as precluding opportu- nities for continuing education (Table 1).
most commonly reported degree attained was a bachelor’s degree, reported by 32.8% of survey respondents. The next most com- mon degrees were master’s degree or equiva- lent (26.3%), high school diploma or GED (23.5%), doctoral degree or equivalent (10.8%), and associate degree (5.8%). In addition to educational degrees, many professionals in decentralized wastewater are required to obtain credentials to do their work, including certifications and licenses. Our sur- vey results indicated that 26.0% of respondents do not hold any type of certification. Of those certified, the majority are certified through the state government (58.4%), while other certifi- cations are administered by local governments (13.9%) or professional associations (4.8%). Respondents reported a wide variety of cer- tifications and licenses (Figure 4). The most commonly reported certifications include Cer- tified Installer of Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (CIOWTS), Professional Engineer (PE), and Registered Environmental Health Specialist/Registered Sanitarian (REHS/RS).
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December 2023 • Journal of Environmental Health
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