The technical and research papers included in this portion of the magazine will be devoted specifically to small community wastewater topics. When it was in publication, The Small Flows Journal was the only peer-reviewed technical journal devoted specifically to the study of onsite and small community wastewater issues. Its articles encompassed aspects of engineering, planning, water quality, and public administration. Although previously a separate publication, The Small Flows Journal is now a section within NSFC's new magazine, Small Flows Quarterly. Future issues of the journal will be archived with the Small Flows Quarterly magazine.
People question whether water softeners can cause problems in septic systems.
And, even though research was conducted by NSF International and the Water Quality Association that found no harm is done, some experts want to see more studies performed. The winter 2001 issue of Pipeline discusses water softening regeneration brine disposal and the controversy over possible effects brine flows may have on septic systems. In addition to presenting differing expert opinions on the subject, an alternative to sodium chloride as the softening agent is included. A case study outlining a golf course community's switch to this alternative shows positive results from the change. The Publications Index includes an abstract of each article, the issue in which the article appears, and the corresponding page numbers.