Scores Attend Septic Training


Recent training offered by the Lake George Association and the Champlain Watershed Improvement Coalition of New York was well attended.

While not exactly your typical cocktail conversation, alternative septic system design was a hot topic for 90 people in Lake George last week.

Engineers, CEOs, municipal authorities and health professionals came to Lake George last Thursday to learn state-of-the-art design solutions for septic systems. The workshop was sponsored by the Lake George Association (LGA) and the Champlain Watershed Improvement Coalition of New York (CWICNY), and taught by a certified Onsite Wastewater Training Network (OTN) instructor. Jim Meacham from the New York State Dept. of Health answered questions and spoke about new revisions to the Wastewater Treatment Standards for Individual Household Systems that went into affect earlier this year.

“We were overwhelmed by the attendance and positive feedback this year, our first year of offering this workshop,” said Emily DeBolt, LGA’s director of education. “The Lake George Watershed is challenging for homeowners and contractors because lot sizes can be small, hilly and rocky for traditional septic systems. Proper wastewater design is of great concern for us at the LGA, and teaching and consulting with the public on effective practices is one of our highest priorities.”

“Our local professionals needed convenient, affordable and high-quality training; in the past they have had to travel too far and pay too much,” said Beth Gilles, of the CWICNY.

The LGA and CWICNY plan to offer additional workshops in the future which may include such topics as the installation of residential onsite wastewater treatment, wastewater phase II requirements for small projects under one acre, and alternative energy sources.

Thank you Lake George Association and Champlain Watershed Improvement Coalition of New York for a very worthwhile day.