Chesapeake Bay water quality to be improved with EPA model program

ANN ARBOR, MI, July 26, 2013 -- A new model program for onsite wastewater treatment systems in the Chesapeake Bay watershed was recently published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help states reduce excessive nutrients, such as nitrogen, from entering the Bay from onsite or septic systems, as well as help protect surface and groundwater quality.

The model program is part of the EPA's collaboration with state and local partners to help enable an executive order that President Obama signed in 2009 recognizing the Chesapeake Bay as a national treasure and calling on the government to protect and restore the nation's largest estuary and its watershed. NSF International's Wastewater Standards are referenced in the program as a basis to evaluate treatment technologies intended to help protect human health and the environment from inadequately treated wastewater.

"We support EPA's move to further protect our nation's water supply as it aligns with NSF International's commitment to protect and improve environmental health," said Tom Bruursema, General Manager of NSF’s Sustainability Division. "EPA's model program for improving our nation's onsite wastewater infrastructure references NSF International’s American National Standards (ANSI) wastewater standards as the basis to evaluate the proper selection, use and management of onsite, decentralized treatment systems."

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