About the National Environmental Services Center
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| The NESC is located in the NRCCE
Building at West Virginia University . Photo by WVU Photo Services |
NESC exists to assist small and rural communities with their drinking water, wastewater, environmental training, solid waste, infrastructure security, and utility management needs and to help them find solutions to problems they face. Our staff of environmental specialists, engineers, certified operators, technical writers, editors, and trainers understand the latest technologies, regulations, and industry developments.
The services NESC offers include:
- Toll-free technical assistance from our staff of certified operators, engineers, and scientists;
- Publications (On Tap, a magazine about drinking water; Small Flows, a magazine about wastewater treatment; and Pipeline, a newsletter about wastewater topics for the general public);
- A comprehensive Web site including online discussion groups;
- Many databases with thousands of entries, searchable online;
- Demonstration projects at more than 100 sites around the country that show the latest onsite sewage technology at work;
- Training sessions; and
- More than 1,000 free and low-cost educational products.
About Our Programs
SMART About Water
- Funded by a $3 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), SMART About Water is being orchestrated by West Virginia University's National Environmental Services Center (NESC) in partnership with the Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP). The program is called SMART About Water, for Strategic Management and Available Resources and Technology. The program provides training and technical assistance about source water and wellhead protection planning to small and rural communities, focusing on untreated wastewater from failing septic and sewer systems, the largest contributor to water quality degradation.
National Drinking Water Clearinghouse (NDWC)
- The NDWC collects, develops, and provides timely information relevant
to small community drinking water issues. Sponsored through the U.S. Department
of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (USDA RUS), the program serves as an
extension of RUS's commitment to providing technical assistance to small
and rural drinking water treatment plants. Intended for communities with
fewer than 10,000 residents and the organizations who work with them, the
NDWC helps small communities by providing needed technical assistance and
information.
National Small Flows Clearinghouse (NSFC)
- The NSFC provides objective information about onsite wastewater collection
and treatment systems to small communities and individuals helping to solve
their wastewater problems and protect public health and the environment.
At least a quarter of the homes in the U.S. are not connected to city sewers,
and many homeowners take care of their own wastewater treatment with septic
tanks or other onsite systems. The NSFC is one of the only national resource
of its type dealing with small community wastewater infrastructure.
National Environmental Training Center for Small
Communities (NETCSC) - The NETCSC assists small communities by providing
training and training-related information, plus referral services in the
areas of wastewater and drinking water. Communities benefit through the
efforts of technical assistance providers, trainers, local decision-makers,
operations personnel, regulatory officials, environmental consultants, and
others who use NETCSC's products and services in their work. Our products
and service help to improve public health and environmental management in
small to mid-sized communities.
National Onsite Demonstration Program (NODP)
- The NODP was developed to encourage the use of alternative, onsite and
wastewater treatment technologies to protect public health, ensure water
quality, and sustain the environment in small and rural communities. Funded
through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the program focuses
on providing communities throughout the country with cost-effective alternatives
to full central sewage systems.
Our Location
The
NESC is based at West Virginia University (WVU), one of the nation's major
research institutions. WVU is West Virginia, located 75 miles south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. NESC is housed in the
National Research Center for Coal & Energy
(NRCCE) Building on WVU's
Evansdale Campus.
Get directions to our building or call (304) 293-2867.