National Environmental Services Center
The National Environmental Services Center (NESC) provides information about drinking water, wastewater, environmental training, and solid waste management in communities serving fewer than 10,000 individuals. NESC is comprised of four national programs that help small and rural communities answer drinking water, wastewater, solid waste, and environmental training questions. The four national programs, all located at West Virginia University, include:
- National Small Flows Clearinghouse - Since 1979, the National Small Flows Clearinghouse (NSFC) has provided information to "small flows" communities-those that treat fewer than one million gallons of wastewater per day. Funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under an amendment to the 1977 Clean Water Act, the NSFC is a respected national source of information about small flows technologies, including onsite and decentralized wastewater treatment systems. Many of the fact sheets on this CD are products of the NSFC.
- National Onsite Demonstration Program - The National Onsite Demonstration Program (NODP), established in 1993, 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. The NODP is a series of decentralized wastewater pilot projects. The NODP focuses on providing communities throughout the country with cost-effective alternatives to full central sewage systems.
- National Environmental Training Center for Small Communities - Many small communities in the United States benefit from the National Environmental Training Center for Small Communitites' (NETCSC) services. Small communities—those with less than 10,000 people—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.
- National Drinking Water Clearinghouse - This Clearinghouse provides help to small communities by collecting, developing, and providing timely information relevant to drinking water issues.