Home aerobic treatment systems maintenance course now available online
Course is for homeowner septic system servicing in approved counties
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is adding “Homeowner Maintenance of Aerobic Treatment Systems” to its list of AgriLife Learn courses.
The online course will be available to Texans in counties where it has been approved starting April 1.
An aerobic septic system or aerobic treatment unit, ATU, uses oxygen to break down both dissolved and solid constituents contained in domestic wastewater into gases, cell mass and non-degradable material, explained Anish Jantrania, AgriLife Extension specialist with the agency’s On-Site Sewage Facilities, OSSF, unit.
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, TCEQ, regulations for an onsite sewage facility specify that at the end of an initial two-year service policy period, homeowners will either commit to maintain their ATU system personally or obtain a service contract from a licensed service provider.
In counties that allow homeowners to maintain their ATU systems and have approved this course for education, successful course completion will allow users to maintain their own ATU or spray system.
“You need to contact your local regulatory authority or authorized agent to determine if you would be allowed to maintain your own system,” Jantrania said.
He said the TCEQ website can provide information on authorized agents throughout the state or it can be found through the contacts section of the OSSF website.
Course cost, content and completion
“In this online course, we will be discussing information that is important to the homeowner for performing proper operation, maintenance and monitoring service of an onsite wastewater treatment system,” Jantrania said. “We will also discuss the routine reporting requirements for keeping your ATU and spray system in compliance with Texas regulations at the state and local level.”
The cost for the online course is $150 and participants have 30 days from sign-up to complete it.
Jantrania said upon course completion, participants will be able to:
- Understand the basic operation and maintenance activities for an aerobic treatment unit.
- Have the knowledge needed to communicate with professional system maintenance providers.
- Make better decisions regarding upkeep and maintenance of an onsite wastewater treatment system.
- Be better informed about the onsite wastewater treatment industry.
- Have the knowledge needed to understand and communicate with maintenance providers.
The course will be presented in five chapters and approximate times for completion of each chapter will be provided. Chapter topics will address different aspect of the aerobic treatment system, including avoiding illnesses and accidents, understanding how the system works, the ATU as part of the family, and general system operation and maintenance and reporting tasks.
Finishing a homework assignment that could take one to four days will also be required for course completion, Jantrania said.
“If your locality allows you to perform your own operation, maintenance and reporting activities instead of having a service contract, and if they have approved this course for education, then upon successful completion of this program you will receive a signed certificate from your local AgriLife Extension county office,” he said.
To receive a certificate, participants must successfully complete all course chapters, pass a final quiz with a grade of 100 and submit their completed homework assignment online within 30 days from the day they start the course.
“Once you get your signed certificate, you will then be able to present it to your local regulator and sign up for maintaining your own ATU and spray system,” he said.
