Judy Sims Receives Calvin K. Sudweeks Award

Judy Sims recieving award

Judy Sims, coordinator of the Utah On-Site Wastewater Treatment Training Program, received the Calvin K. Sudweeks Award from the Utah Division of Water Quality. The award was given on June 26, 2019 at the monthly meeting of the Utah Water Quality Board of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality in Salt Lake City.

Judy Sims is Coordinator of the Utah State University On-Site Wastewater Treatment Training Program (USU On-Site Training Program), which was established in 1998. She is also a Research Associate Professor at the Utah Water Research Laboratory at USU. She received her academic training at the University of Illinois – Urbana, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.

After becoming inspired to study soils and wastes while working as a research technician on land application of municipal sludge at Washington State University in Pullman, Judy began her career in on-site wastewater treatment and land treatment of wastes in the Department of Soil Science at North Carolina State University. During her over forty-year career, she has participated in numerous projects concerned with the environmental fate and treatment of contaminants in land-based treatment systems, including on-site wastewater treatment systems.

Judy has extensive experience in developing guidance materials for agencies and corporations, including engineering issue papers for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), a soil remediation manual for Exxon Corporation, a review of bioengineering technologies for the National Geographic Society, on-site wastewater treatment guidance materials for the National Association of Local Boards of Health (NALBOH), guidance for new technology adoption for Rotoplas (a Mexican wastewater treatment manufacturer), development of a homeowner management program for Sun Valley, Idaho, and numerous educational outreach materials for the Utah Division of Water Quality (DWQ) through the Non-Point Source Pollution Program. She served as the USU Extension Service representative to a multi-state project, Design, Assessment, and Management of Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems: Addressing the Challenges of Climate Change.

Judy has also directed research programs, including research on mound fill materials for treatment of septic effluent, removal of emerging contaminants of concern in soils, treatment of septic effluents in deep systems, and mitigation of methane emissions from septic tanks as well as participated in hazardous waste land treatment studies.

In 1982 she and her husband Ron began their USU careers at the Utah Water Research Laboratory, specializing in hazardous waste bioremediation and land treatment. Her involvement in Utah on-site wastewater issues began in 1983, where she served as Chairman (1983-86) and member (1986-88) of the On-Site Wastewater Disposal Technical Review Committee, which was an Advisory Committee to the Bureau of Drinking Water/Sanitation in the Utah Department of Health.

Utah On-Site Wastewater Treatment Training Program

In 1997, the Utah DWQ issued a Request for Proposal to set up a training program for on-site wastewater professionals. Judy as project coordinator and a team from USU responded to the RFP and was awarded the contract. The Utah On-Site Wastewater Treatment Training Program, which was established by this grant, became sustainable with the passage of Utah Administrative Code R317-11 in 2001, which required DWQ to provide “certification and recertification of individuals who design, inspect and maintain underground wastewater disposal systems, or conduct soil evaluations or percolation tests for underground wastewater disposal systems.”

This certification/recertification program involves the training and testing of on-site wastewater professionals by the USU On-Site Training Program through a series of workshops.

Certification Classes

  • Level 1: Site Evaluation and Percolation Testing, a 3-day class held at various locations around the state and includes a field session;
  • Level 2: Design, Operation, Maintenance and Inspection of Conventional On-Site Wastewater Treatment Systems, a 2 ½ day workshop held in Logan and includes a field trip; and
  • Level 3: Design, Operation, Maintenance and Inspection of Alternative On-Site Wastewater Treatment Systems, a 4-day workshop held in Logan and includes a field trip.

Each workshop is provided at least twice a year, in the fall and in the spring. Recertification is required for each level every three years. Recertification requires attendance at a one-day workshop provided by the USU On-Site Training Program that emphasizes hands-on soils and site evaluation activities and design exercises. In recent years, attendance at the certification/recertification workshops has ranged from about 175 to 225 participants annually.

The workshops are recognized by the Utah Division of Occupational Licensing (DOPL) as approved classes for continuing education requirements for licensed contractors and plumbers, who, in order to receive the credits, have to attend classes only from DOPL-approved providers.

The USU Training Program employs three part-time instructors in addition to Judy: Peg Cashell, a soil scientist, Brian Cowan, a licensed environmental health scientist, and Richard Jex, a professional engineer and licensed environmental health scientist. All of the instructors have extensive experience in on-site wastewater treatment. Ivonne Harris of the Utah Water Research Laboratory provides administrative assistance to the group.

The workshops are funded by 1) on-site wastewater system permit fees collected by local health department staff and disbursed from a fund administered by the Utah DWQ, 2) course fees paid by class participants, and 3) by the Utah Water Research Laboratory.

Field Training Site

As part of the development of the USU Training Program, a field demonstration site was constructed in 2000 on the USU campus in Logan. With financial assistance from the USU Huntsman Environmental Research Center (HERC), the Huntsman On-Site Wastewater Treatment Training and Demonstration Site was developed and has served as a critical educational tool. The Utah Department of Environmental Quality and Kennecott Utah Copper provided additional funding for site construction.

The field demonstration site includes field models and demonstrations of on-site wastewater systems. These models are used to enhance classroom lectures, for learners often remember more of what they see, hear, and do than remember what they only hear. Since 2000 HERC has provided annual funding for maintenance and upkeep of the site. In addition to being used for Level 2 and 3 certification workshops, the site is used by USU civil and environmental engineering, biological engineering, and public health classes, as well as citizen groups who want to learn more about on-site wastewater systems.

The USU On-Site Training Program, with funding from the Utah Division of Water Quality, is presently developing another field demonstration site at Ash Creek Special Service District facilities in Hurricane, to better serve the central and southern part of Utah. As certification workshops will be held at the new site, this southern demonstration site at Ash Creek will facilitate the participation of instructors and regulatory staff from the area in the certification training program. Regulatory staff will also be able to provide tours and other educational activities concerning septic systems and non-point source pollution (NPS) to their clients and to the public.

Consortium of Institutes for Decentralized Wastewater Treatment (CIDWT)

In order to provide quality educational experiences in workshops and classes, the Utah On-Site Program is a member of the Consortium of Institutes for Decentralized Wastewater Treatment (CIDWT), a group of U.S. and Canadian educational institutions cooperating on decentralized wastewater training and research efforts. The Consortium also includes people from professional associations, citizen groups, regulatory agencies and private industry. The Utah On-Site Program utilizes educational curricula for training centers and universities as well as training materials for operation and maintenance, treatment of high strength wastewater and installation of on-site systems that have been developed by the Consortium. Brian Cowan has attended Consortium Train-the-Trainer programs and has been designated as a Consortium Qualified Trainer.

The USU On-Site Training Program, as part of its original grant, spearheaded the development of the Utah On-Site Wastewater Association(UOWA) in 2000. This association, which is affiliated with the National On-Site Wastewater Association (NOWRA), sponsors an annual conference with speakers that address areas of interest and concern for Utah on-site wastewater professionals. Goals of the UOWA include:

1) Provide a forum for open dialogue of ideas, information, and technology transfer;

2) Keep members informed about advances in on-site wastewater treatment; and

3) Promote opportunities for professional on-site wastewater practitioners and other audiences to upgrade skills and increase their knowledge and awareness of on-site wastewater issues.

USU On-Site Training Program instructors have served as president, treasurer, and board members of the UOWA and participate extensively in the selection of speakers for the conferences.

In addition, Judy was an elected board member of the National On-Site Wastewater Recycling Association (NOWRA) from 2007 to 2010, chair of the Technical Program for the NOWRA Installer’s Academy in Las Vegas in 2008, and chair of the NOWRA Web-Based Resource Library Task Force in 2009.

The USU Training Program has also provided numerous training programs for engineers, health professionals, and contractors in Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, and Idaho. In 2010, the U.S. EPA contracted with the USU On-Site Training Program to provide training to U.S. EPA Region 8 states. When providing training outside of Utah, the classes are tailored to the specific regulations found in those states. In addition, professionals from other states often take the Utah certification workshops to broaden their educational backgrounds.

In 2003 the Utah On-Site Training Program received a Non-Point Source (NPS) Water Quality Award from the NPS Water Quality Task Force of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality and in 2004 received the Lynn Thatcher Award for Significant Contributions to the Field of Environmental Health from the Utah Environmental Health Association.