NASSCO’s commitment to ensure the continued acceptance and growth of trenchless technologies is supported by an understanding of how far sewage conveyance systems have come. Learning about sewer system development and evolution creates a deep appreciation for those who came before us and worked hard to provide effective sanitary systems to communities throughout history.

Over the past 20-plus years, Jon Schladweiler, the historian of the Arizona Water Association, has researched, collected and archived sanitary sewer system materials. Dating from approximately 3500 B.C. through the 1930s A.D., this dynamic collection of materials demonstrates the evolution of sewers over the past 5,500 years, and is assembled in NASSCO’s Sewer History Exhibit.

The exhibit includes sewer system components such as manhole covers from around the world, different type of pipes, pumps, flush tanks, gates and flushing mechanisms. Other features of the exhibit include various design work, early construction projects, the evolution of maintenance and safety, global disasters and sinkholes, the connection between disease and sanitation, ancient private and public sanitary facilities, sewage treatment methods, and sewer history by region and era, going back to Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley from 3000-2000 B.C.

Managed by NASSCO since 2014, various association members have stepped up to sponsor this important display, allowing us to transport the exhibit across the country to expose as many industry professionals as possible to the unique artifacts it contains. Most recently, the exhibit was displayed, in partnership with COLE Publishing, at the WWETT show in Indianapolis, and will be exhibited at other local and national conferences throughout the year, including WEFTEC next fall.

NASSCO recently built a more portable display that resides in our training center in Marriottsville, Maryland.  The display includes artifacts that were not previously displayed with the main exhibit, including wood log and wood stave pipe, glazed clay pipe, and even an Orangeburg pipe repair kit. NASSCO’s training center receives hundreds of students and industry professionals each year who now have an opportunity to enjoy and learn from this exhibit.

NASSCO’s goal in supporting this important collection is to educate people within the sewer industry about our past, and encourage them by demonstrating the strides our industry has taken to continually improve the conveyance of sewage through the ages. Our mission to set standards for the assessment, maintenance and rehabilitation of underground infrastructure is also supported, as the impressive display shows the ingenuity and innovation that has continued — and will continue on — in large part due to the standards developed, achieved and improved upon throughout the years.

If you have historic materials, photographs, books or other relevant information that could support the education of our important past, please contact Jon Schladweiler at jcschlad@msn.com or info@nassco.org. Also, if you are part of an organization that would like to host the exhibit, contact NASSCO at info@nassco.org.

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Get the EDge  Training and Continuing Education Courses

PACP TRAINING

March 20-22 Marriottsville, Maryland
Includes Manholes and Laterals!
Trainer: Ted DeBoda
Contact Dawn Jaworski for more information or to register: 410/442-7473 or email dawn@nassco.org 

March 21-23 Orlando, Florida
Includes Manholes and Laterals!
Recertifications Welcome
Trainer: Brandon Conley
Contact Ashley Groves for more information or to register: 248/349-0904 or email pacp@dohenycompanies.com

April 4-6 Northville, Michigan
Includes Manholes and Laterals!
Recertifications Welcome
Trainer: Brandon Conley
Contact Ashley Groves for more information or to register: 248/349-0904 or email pacp@dohenycompanies.com

April 7 Northville, Michigan
One-Day Recertification Course
Trainer: Brandon Conley
Contact Ashley Groves for more information or to register: 248/349-0904 or email pacp@dohenycompanies.com

April 24-26 Marriottsville, Maryland
Includes Manholes and Laterals!
Trainer: Ted DeBoda
Contact Dawn Jaworski for more information or to register: 410/442-7473 or email dawn@nassco.org

April 25-27 San Francisco, California
Includes Manholes and Laterals!
Recertifications Welcome
Trainer: Brandon Conley
Contact Ashley Groves for more information or to register: 248/349-0904 or email pacp@dohenycompanies.com

May 2 Marriottsville, Maryland
PACP User Recertification
Trainer: Ted DeBoda
Contact Dawn Jaworski for more information or to register: 410/442-7473 or email dawn@nassco.org

May 9-11 Atlantic City, New Jersey
NJWEA Annual Conference
Includes Manholes and Laterals!
Recertifications Welcome
Trainer: Brandon Conley
Contact Ashley Groves for more information or to register: 248/349-0904 or email pacp@dohenycompanies.com

ITCP TRAINING (CIPP and Manhole)

March 6-7, 2017 Cincinnati, Ohio
Manhole Rehabilitation
8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Day 1 • 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. Day 2 Morning
Trainer: Tim Back
Contact Tim Back for more information: 513/253-8461 or email timbacktwo@gmail.com

March 15-16, 2017 Urbana, Illinois
Cured-In-Place Pipe
8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Day 1 • 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Day 2
Trainer: Gerry Muenchmeyer
Contact Gerry Muenchmeyer for more information: 252/626-9930 or email gerry@muenchmeyerassoc.com