Non Governmental Organization: Hydro Nova
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About [Edit]
Hydro Nova’s Mission
- To provide information about small scale wastewater treatment systems
- To help educate local officials, property owners and the general public about alternatives to septic systems
- To advocate improved regulatory policy at the local, state and national levels
HYDRO NOVAs 10 POINT PROGRAM
- Performance standards for on-site systems. End the tyranny of ill-informed officials enforcing rigid, prescriptive standards.
- Certification of new technologies at the state level. End the
foolishness of having each local code enforcing agency have to become
experts on every new system. Local officials have neither the time nor
the technical skills to adequately determine whether new technologies
should be allowed.
- Develop more affordable systems for dealing with on-site wastewater.
- Educate consumers, property owners, real estate people and
local policy makers about on-site systems. Partnership between system
owners and the community is the key to safe operation of on-site
systems.
- Adopt an Extension Service model not a Fee and Fine model for insuring the performance of on-site systems.
- All on-site systems should be registered and entered into a
database at the local level. Where sensitive ecological areas are
present more intensive management may be required. Designation of
sensitive areas should be made with public participation and ample
public input.
- Permits for repairs of existing on-site systems must be
granted unless local authorities can show that such systems present a
clear and present danger and that the owner is unwilling to take
reasonable steps to protect the health and welfare of the community.
- Permit costs must be reasonable. Repair permit fees can not
exceed the cost of permits required by jurisdictions in the same state
for repair of sewers.
- Low cost loans and grants must be available to encourage the
installation of innovative systems and to assist low income owners with
needed improvements.
- Standards for water re-use from on-site systems ought not to be more stringent than standards that apply to publically owned treatment works
WORKSHOPS
Check this section for workshops and training opportunities for people interested in learning more about wastewater or maintaining and operating on-site treatment systems. Under this heading we will also be posting information about meetings to uipdate the on-site regulations in the state of California, and other states where regulations are being reviewed.BACKGROUND
Environmental consultant Robert Feinbaum started Hydro Nova in 2000 with the premise that waste water neednt be wasted water. Instead of dumping water used in a residence or commercial establishment into the ground or into a sewer, where it goes to a treatment plant that laces it with chemicals for disinfection and ultimately discharges it into a body of water - use the water close to where it is generated. Not only would that reduce costly sewer infrastructure, not only would that reduce the enormous costs of centralized treatment plants, but it would reduce potable water consumption, and yes Donald Rumsfeld its true, reduce the nations vulnerability to terrorist attacks.(think about the stores of chlorine gas at sewage treatment plants).Our first project is to reform the way current thinking, embodied in rigid regulations, has taken what ought to be a resource and converted it into a disposal problem.
SUPPORT
Hydro Nova would like to thank our supporters and funders who include:- San Francisco Foundation
- Catchword (an Oakland California based branding firm)
- Earth Island Institute (EII)
