Page 56 - Green Builder Sept-Oct 2016

Tips, Technology and Common Sense
Solutions for a Thirsty World

Climate Change Makes Addressing
U.S. Septic Failures More Urgent

From runaway algae blooms to antibiotic-resistant bacteria, household septic

systems may be making matters worse.

BY BRETT WALTON, COURTESY OF CIRCLE OF BLUE CREDIT: ANDY ROGERS, FLICKR

CONCEIVED AS A low-cost, low-tech means of disposing A healthy environment. A properly installed septic system can
toilet waste in rural communities without sewers, septic prevent deadly diseases from entering drinking water.
systems have become a leading cause of the toxic algae
blooms. Like a rainbow cloak, algae blooms drape DATA: WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW CAN HURT YOU
across lakes, bays and coastal shorelines on Cape Cod,
Long Island, and small waterbodies in other states. As the top Not all of the nation’s 21.5 million household septic systems are
source of contamination for disease outbreaks from residential malfunctioning. Many are properly maintained and contribute
drinking water wells, septic systems also contribute to illness across little to local water pollution. The problem is that officials do not
the country. know where to draw the line between the good and the bad. Also,
small amounts of pollution, insignificant when discharged by a few
This poor track record is worsened by numerous factors: systems, develop into a serious problem as the number of systems
incomplete knowledge about the number and location of failing in an area increases.
systems, old septic infrastructure that does not incorporate the latest
nitrogen-removal technology, and an uneven application of pollution- Data gaps begin at the top. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the
reducing management practices. number of septic systems nationally, but it stopped collecting data at
the county level after 1980, because no federal agency regulates septic
In addition, changing environmental conditions will eventually systems, according to spokeswoman Virginia Hyer. If they want
produce new challenges. In wet regions, a warming planet may detailed septic data, states and counties must collect it themselves.
impair the soil’s capacity to cleanse liquid waste of microbial and
nutrient contaminants. A few are doing so. Georgia is developing WelSTROM, a GIS
database of septic systems and drinking water wells, to help counties
In short, septic systems—which are used by one-fifth of U.S. prevent water contamination. Data has been entered for 22 of
households, mostly in New England, the Midwest and the Deep Georgia’s 159 counties.
South—need an upgrade.
The Virginia Department of Health is using a bundle of economic,
Solutions do exist, but they require new research, investments and
policies. In certain cases, sanitation experts call for a drastic shift
from individual backyard units to water-recycling, waste-reusing
neighborhood systems that are cheaper than sewer expansions and
match the 21st-century ethic of resource efficiency.

In general, for septic systems to protect human health and
ecosystems, public officials must improve three main areas: data,
oversight and design.

¦¦ Data: Authorities often do not have accurate maps of where
septic systems are located or know where to target public funds.

¦¦ Oversight: Inadequate maintenance and upkeep is the primary
cause of system failure.

¦¦ Design: Because new technologies are required to remove
nitrogen pollution and drive down costs.

54 GREEN BUILDER September/October 2016 www.greenbuildermedia.com