The Office of Environmental Health Services offers comprehensive, practical courses in the basics of site evaluation, design and permitting of private wells and onsite sewage systems under the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) Private Well Regulations (12 VAC 5-630) and Sewage Handling and Disposal Regulations (12 VAC 5-610).
This course is offered primarily as training for new VDH Environmental Health Specialists, but is also offered to the public to meet training requirements specified in the Authorized Onsite Soil Evaluator Regulations (12 VAC 5-615) for those seeking the Authorized Onsite Soil Evaluator (AOSE) credential. The cost to AOSE candidates is $1800 for the course. Lodging and meals are the responsibility of the trainee as well during the travel weeks described below. Class size is limited and we follow a priority policy in order to encourage the certification of new AOSEs. (Click on the link above for more information on our priority policy.)
The Private Well Regulations course is offered by videoconference in two (2) 6 - 7 hour sessions. Videoconference sites are offered in local health department offices and originate from the Office of Environmental Health Services (OEHS) conference room on the fifth floor of the Madison Building in Richmond. Scientific topics include Geology of Virginia, Hydrogeology of Virginia, Well Construction, the Microbiology of Waterborne Disease. Regulation topics include Conducting a Sanitary Survey, Siting a Well, Permitting Wells, Well Abandonment, Water Testing among others. An online exam follows the course.
The Onsite Sewage System course is a cycle of training – all components are required to successfully complete the course. The cycle begins with Basic Skills Camp, a 2.5 day field camp where we review basic tools and skills required to begin evaluating sites for onsite sewage systems. Topics include measuring contour using both a locke level and tripod level, and measuring slope using a clinometer and tripod level. We include lots of practical experience in soil texturing and cover the basics of sewage system construction including a pipe exercise. When available, we include an onsite sewage system inspection and a field trip to a septic tank manufacturer in this camp.
Following Basic Skills Camp we begin classroom training by videoconference. We schedule a total of five (5) full-day videoconferences throughout the course, interspersed with Design Camp I, Soils Week and Design Camp II, three additional weeks of combination classroom and field training.
During the videoconference portion of the training, we cover science, design and regulation topics like Overview of Onsite Sewage Systems, Application Process, Wastewater Basics, The Stakeholders in Onsite Sewage, Onsite Sewage Disposal System Construction, Trench Depths and Spacings, Drainfield Geometry, Installing Below a Restriction, Pump System Design and Inspection, Sizing of Residential Absorption Fields, Design Flow, Wastewater Characterization, AOSE Regulations, and several of the Guidance Memoranda and Policies (GMPs) that impact design of onsite sewage systems. We cover the basics of non-trench systems and the sizing requirements for proprietary systems. The details of designing proprietary systems are beyond the scope of this course – we leave that training to the manufacturers and distributors.
Design Camp I is a week-long session comprised of classroom and field training. We generally hold classroom training in the morning and field training in the afternoon to allow flexibility for weather. Classroom topics include Site Evaluation, Site Sketches and Permit Sketches, Seasonal Water Table Issues, Other Factors Affecting Design of OSDS, etc., as well as some additional practice in soil texturing. The field portion of the training is designed to put the classroom training into use and allow trainees to site, sketch and permit “lots” under guidance from seasoned field personnel.
Soils Week is probably the highlight of the training cycle for those interested in this area of study. OEHS has four Virginia Tech soil scientists under contract in the eastern (currently vacant), northern, central and southwestern portions of the state. The soil scientists team up for this course and present classroom training in soils in the morning with field trips to various sites in the afternoon to highlight different aspects of the classroom training. The soil scientists try to include an all-day field trip spanning at least two physiographic provinces during the course. Again, the classroom/field sessions may be “juggled” to allow for the weather.
In Design Camp II, the final week-long session in the training, trainees get to bring all their training into the field and practice evaluating, sketching and permitting sites on lots set up specifically for training. Again, field work is done under the guidance of experienced field staff who provide review and consultation on site evaluation and permit drawing. A few classroom topics remain at this point, Shallow Installations, Repairs, etc., but we also try to take some time for review since, at the conclusion of the week, trainees will take the AOSE/EHS Written Exam. A score of 78% is required to pass this exam for both VDH and private sector trainees. Retests (if required) are offered at the Madison Building in Richmond.
The final component required to successfully complete the training cycle is the Field Exam, scheduled as needed within the physiographic province where the trainee usually works by a local Designated Field Examiner (DFE). The DFE assigns a lot for the trainee to evaluate, monitors the evaluation, tests the trainee on measuring slope and naming landscape positions and rates the trainee on his/her evaluation process and site sketch. The trainee prepares the documentation and permit package within the week following the field exam and sends it to the DFE for an initial review. The DFE reviews the work, makes initial ratings and recommendations and then forwards the package to OEHS for a final review to determine pass/fail status.
Trainees in this course are now concurrently enrolled in Southside Virginia Community College and receive college credit for successful completion of this course.