A.S.K. for our Assistance, Solutions, and Knowledge
Welcome to the NESC. Our organization provides drinking water and wastewater information. We specialize in providing assistance and training materials to aid small system infrastructure security and utility management. The NESC takes pride in assisting communities serving fewer than 10,000 individuals, and many others nation-wide.
Our Products are Free and Low-Cost
We have an extensive holding of free and low-cost educational publications, fact sheets, pamphlets, brochures, guidebooks, posters, DVDs and other similar materials. Browse our many drinking water, wastewater, and training products.Our Publications
Our magazines and newsletters cover a wide range of drinking water and wastewater issues. The NESC currently reaches more than 80,000 subscribers. We provide an extensive listing of free online downloads to our current and discontinued publications.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.