Tom Bruursema, NSF International Director of Sustainability, discusses NSF's commitment to help improve the nation's wastewater infrastructure at the Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony.
WASHINGTON, DC, Nov. 21, 2011 -- NSF International has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and 14 other national organizations, signifying their commitment to improving onsite wastewater treatment systems.
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For the past 40 years, NSF International has helped develop 12 American National Standards for drinking water and wastewater treatment. In addition, NSF has supported the onsite wastewater treatment industry, government agencies, and consumers with third-party product testing and certification to consensus-based NSF American National Standards. Water products bearing the NSF Mark demonstrate product performance and reliability to national standards, and widespread acceptance of innovative water treatment technologies.
Today NSF continues to expand its water and environmental expertise through its sustainability division, including a new standard and certification for residential and commercial onsite water reuse treatment systems to ensure systems properly treat graywater and combined wastewater.
According to the EPA, about 20 percent of U.S. residences discharge four billion gallons of sewage daily into septic systems, and it's estimated that 10 and 20 percent may not be properly treating wastewater.
Under the MOU, NSF International will continue its collaboration with the EPA and other partner organizations to improve the nation's estimated 26 million onsite treatment systems (often referred to as septic or decentralized systems). The goal is to encourage proper selection, use and management of onsite, decentralized treatment systems to protect public health and the environment.
"This diverse and dedicated group of stakeholders has the expertise and collective resources to promote and educate others about the proper selection, use and maintenance of onsite systems," said Tom Bruursema, Director of NSF Sustainability. "NSF International is committed to public health and the opportunities that lie ahead for the partnership, and the leadership NSF can provide to help improve our nation's wastewater infrastructure."
"The purpose of the renewed MOUs, first in 2008 and now again in 2011, is to continue and expand the ongoing collaborative relationships and to add organizations which focus on public health protection, product testing, and professional accreditation," EPA said in a statement. "The addition of both CDC and NSF International will enhance the partnership's access and understanding of relevant public health research, priorities, and initiatives along with state-of-the-art product certification and testing and professional accreditation."
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