OnlineRME™ is a Web-based service, provided by OnlineRME, LLC, that enables regulatory jurisdictions and other entities to manage onsite wastewater treatment systems with the participation of service providers, system manufacturers, and other stakeholders.

Currently, hundreds of thousands of onsite systems are being tracked and monitored via this innovative software, and more than 90,000 O&M reports and 50,000 pumping reports have been submitted. Analysis shows that, as inspections increase and deficiencies are noted and attended to, failures decline. As a consequence, system life is extended, property owners save money, and public health is protected.

OnlineRME is modeled on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Guidelines for Management of Onsite and Clustered Wastewater Systems, which recommends practices for Responsible Management Entities (RMEs).

How OnlineRME Works

When a service provider signs the contract to maintain a system, he or she visits the OnlineRME Web site and enters information about that system — location, contact information, and components. This ensures that the inventory of systems within the jurisdiction is up to date. After every inspection or service call, service providers visit the OnlineRME Web site and complete a form. On this form they record the components they inspected or serviced and note any deficiencies.

Health officials can look over individual records or generate reports summarizing deficiencies. They can see when a homeowner’s contract with a service provider has lapsed, and the system can issue reminders and enforcement letters.

The OnlineRME Web-based service is funded entirely by a small reporting fee that service providers pay for billable activities. Agencies can also use OnlineRME’s online payment services to collect other fees from homeowners, builders, or service providers. One hundred percent of these fees go to the agency.

Benefits

Service providers can use OnlineRME as a business management tool for record-keeping, scheduling, and routing.

Regulators can identify patterns of deficiencies, such as those associated with a geographic area.

Manufacturers of onsite treatment systems can collect data about the performance of their own systems.

Corporations with many locations, such as retail or restaurant chains, can use OnlineRME to manage their inventory of onsite wastewater systems.

Lending institutions that make or subsidize loans for septic system improvement can use OnlineRME to ensure that the systems they invest in are being properly maintained.

The public can access inspection data (as local law allows).