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Discussion: The GIS allows sanitarians to perform sewage treatment system reviews of existing systems in minutes. These reviews are necessary if there is a complaint or if a homeowner wishes to modify the system or request a variance. Some homeowners request a variance for special circumstances, which must be approved by the health board. The GIS allows for a detailed visual presentation to be made to the board improving their decision-making ability. The GIS is especially useful as new sewage treatment systems are installed. Since current land parcel information is available, initial evaluations as to the size of the lot, and location relative to flood plains can be made quickly. With soil composition, orthophotography, land contour, and spot elevation information, initial assessments as to system location can be also be made (Figure 2). By having the GIS as a visual tool, sanitarians can now have detailed phone consultations with property owners and contractors regarding the placement of homes and sewage treatment systems. These preliminary conversations would be difficult without visiting the site first. Additionally, many of the property owners do not reside in the county and are building retirement or weekend homes, so being able to discuss issues with them and not having to arrange a meeting at the site saves time and improves customer service. Additionally, the GIS will allow the sanitarian to quickly reference systems in close proximity, which can aid in the design of the system.  Figure 2: Parcel information with land contours, roads, and soil types displayed. Conclusions: GIS is a valuable tool for sewage treatment system management. It allows sanitarians to quickly utilize geographic information critical to decision making, and eliminates the need to refer to cumbersome printed maps. While it does not eliminate all field visits, it does make field visits more productive since the sanitarian already has a feel for the property (size, contours, soil) prior to visiting the site. Making the map accessible using ArcPublisher allows for more staff to be exposed to GIS. As staff members become more familiar with GIS, it is anticipated that future GIS projects will be undertaken. Ideas will be generated on what programs might benefit from GIS analysis, and since most public health data contains an address, geographic references are available. Challenges still remain. This project utilized an existing database of sewage treatment system information that is maintained separately from the GIS. Therefore, new systems are not incorporated into the GIS unless a separate geocoding project is undertaken. Integrating the sewage treatment system database into the GIS using a geodatabase is a logical future step. Efforts to keep day-to-day operations for clerical staff responsible for inputting sewage treatment system data the same is a priority. As a result, this must be accounted for in the integration process. Ideally, an automatic geocoding process could be incorporated so new systems are immediately available in the GIS once they are entered into the database. This will require some outside expertise to fully implement. Acknowledgements: Thanks, goes to the Muskingum County Auditor and GIS department for having the vision to invest in the LBRS project. Without accurate road and address information, this project (and future ones) would be difficult.
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