Hello and welcome to this introduction to EPA’s Searchable Clearinghouse of Wastewater Technology (SCOWT).
EPA built SCOWT with professionals like you in mind.
Whether your facility treats 100 million gallons a day, or serves only your home,
SCOWT aims to connect you to the innovative, alternative, or reuse-specific wastewater technologies that can optimize your system.
SCOWT aims to help communities looking to build wastewater infrastructure,
by presenting the innovative, alternative, and reuse-based technologies available to them.
SCOWT is an information-sharing platform that provides resources on the cost-effectiveness
and performance of these innovative wastewater technologies.
The publicly available clearinghouse can help wastewater treatment utilities; communities
and homes that rely on decentralized systems; operators and maintenance personnel; state,
local, and Tribal governments; infrastructure decision-makers; urban planners,
landscape architects, developers; and academia.
As SCOWT evolves, we may add more database categories, such as water reuse, that will have similar functions;
for the purpose of this introductory video we will just focus on the decentralized database as an example.
SCOWT organizes information for both centralized and decentralized treatment systems and offers a searchable database for each type.
The centralized database contains resources for managed systems consisting of
collection sewers and a single treatment plant used to collect and treat wastewater from an entire service area.
The decentralized resources are relevant to a variety of approaches for collection, treatment,
and dispersal/reuse of wastewater for individual dwellings, industrial or institutional facilities,
clusters of homes or businesses, and entire communities.
All of these collections include reports, case studies, webinars, and other resources,
as well as a map search function that enables users to search based on their geographic location.
Before moving on to the system-specific search tools, let’s quickly point out the universal keyword search.
Unlike keyword searches you’ll see on other pages, the search box here allows you to search
the totality of all resources contained in SCOWT.
Now, let’s take a closer look and navigate through SCOWT's search features.
Once you click on a type of system, you will notice a new set of icons, as well as corresponding tabs in the menu.
The first icon and tab, “Search Resources,” displays all the resource content contained in the tool.
The functionalities are the same for centralized, decentralized, and water reuse databases, but the contents differ.
Aside from simply browsing the materials in the collection, this view offers some built-in
filters to help you focus the resources displayed.
These include limiting the resources by topic, focus area, scope, resource type, author, or publication date.
You can also limit the resources displayed by filtering for text within a specific column
by clicking on the column heading and then entering your text filter.
The next search method and tab, the “Map Search,” offers you a way to browse content geographically.
This search may be particularly useful for users looking for insights on the performance
and applicability of technologies based on the qualities of a particular location.
Please note that the resources shown will only include resources that have been tagged to a specific place.
For both the Resources and Map view, you can export what you are viewing into a CSV file if supported by your browser.
The third icon and tab, “Calendar,” displays relevant wastewater events scheduled across the U.S.
You can also access recordings of EPA webinars here.
You can toggle between the decentralized and centralized calendars and narrow down
your event search using the pre-selected filter options.
On this page you can also suggest calendar events or import an event’s details directly to your own calendar.
The “About” section presents you general information about the structure and content of SCOWT.
The Frequently Asked Questions section offers basic history and usage tips for the tool,
while a glossary of key terms helps define technical language used in SCOWT.
EPA also describes the vetting criteria for how additions to SCOWT will be reviewed.
EPA’s Office of Wastewater Management maintains and updates SCOWT on a regular basis.
We encourage you to pitch in too!
We’ve built in a process for you submit materials for consideration to be shared in SCOWT.
If you would like to submit resources for review, use the form under the “Submit Feedback or Resources” tab.
EPA reviews and considers all submissions, and evaluates them for inclusion using SCOWT’s established criteria.
For example, EPA will not post documents that promote or endorse specific services or products.
EPA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies, internet applications, or any policies
or information expressed by third parties via SCOWT.
Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
In order to publicly share copyrighted materials in SCOWT, the copyright owner of a resource
must sign and attach the licensing agreement document found on the “Submit Feedback or Resources” tab.
However, you can still recommend any resource for which you do not own the copyright.
Lastly, if you have any questions about submitting resources, the licensing agreement, or have
any other comments or questions, we encourage you to reach out to us by email at WastewaterTechnologyClearinghouse@epa.gov.
SCOWT would not be successful without support from our partners.
We would like to recognize our contributing partners and provide information on their organizations.
Please visit their sites for additional information on wastewater technologies, finance, and program management.
In closing, we are grateful to the many partners who have contributed their content to EPA’s SCOWT.
We are all eager for you and your colleagues to put this tool to work and have your help
in continuing to make it better by sharing more resources about innovative, alternative, and reuse wastewater technologies.
Thank you!