Page 57 - Green Builder Sept-Oct 2016

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Case Study: Protecting New York City’s Drinking Water
The Catskill Watershed Corporation
works to repair and replace septic
systems that could affect water quality.HE NEW YORK City drinking water supply system is the largest
unfiltered water supply in the United States, according to New York
T States Department of Environmental Conservation. It provides 1.2
billion gallons of drinking water every day.
Much of that water comes from the Catskill Watershed in the Catskill
Mountain region, which includes a number of streams and rivers and two
reservoirs.
Almost two decades ago, the federal government began requiring all
surface water supplied to be filtered, unless a municipality can prove the
water comes from a clean source. If a municipality choses to keep the water
clean, the government checks to see if any deterioration in water quality has
occurred every five years.
After passing the evaluation for the first time and being issued a Filtration
Avoidance Determination by the New York City Department of Environmental
Protection, the Catskill Watershed Corporation started the Septic Rehabilitation
and Repair Program. This program either repairs or replaces onsite residential
septic systems. The corporation began in areas considered highly sensitive
and located within 50 feet of a water source. Later, the program was extended
to properties within 100 feet of a water source. Now, they are working on
properties within 700 feet of a water source.
For eligible septic systems, Catskill Watershed Corporation employees
inspect the system by uncovering the tank and pumping it out. They visually
demographic and septic data to identify “wastewater islands,” or areas
with small lot sizes, no public sewer connection, poorly draining
soils, older homes and low household incomes. This combination
of factors often indicates where septic systems are concentrated and
at risk of failure.
OVERSIGHT: NEW RULES NEEDED
Septic systems are not regulated by the federal Clean Water Act.
Counties and states are in charge of writing the rules that govern
septic system siting, installation and upkeep. That division of
responsibility results in a hodgepodge of regulatory programs of
uneven strength, according to Craig Mains, an engineering scientist
who studies septic systems with the National Environmental Services
Center (NESC).
Take nitrogen, for example. Twenty-five states regulate the release
of nitrogen from septic systems, according to a 2012 NESC survey.
Only four have statewide requirements. For the others, the rules
apply only in ecologically sensitive areas. Nitrogen, converted into
nitrate in the soil, feeds algae blooms that wreck coastal ecosystems.
If consumed at high enough doses, nitrates contribute to blood
disorders in infants. Basic septic systems remove only 10 percent of
the nitrogen in wastewater.
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inspect the condition of the tank, and then conduct a dye test to determine
whether dye shows up in ditches or water sources nearby.
Using that information, they determine whether the system needs to be
repaired or replaced, or if it’s working properly. In total, the Catskill Watershed
Corporation has fixed systems generating 1.5 million gallons of sewage per day.
“There’s no way to know how many systems there are and whether they
are failing,” says Diane Galusha, communications director and education
coordinator for the Catskill Watershed Corporation. “We’ve been at it 20
years, completed 5,000 systems, and we haven’t seen the end of the list yet.”
The best part? New York City is funding the project; the city pays for 100
percent of the work for full-time residents of the watershed and 60 percent
for part-time residents.
In addition, the Catskill Watershed Corporation launched the Community
Wastewater Management Program, which affects 15 hamlets in the watershed.
This program allows septic systems on small lots to be decommissioned
when a community system is established, or regularly maintained through
septic maintenance districts. Today, the corporation has completed nine
community wastewater projects and are working on five more.
“The idea was to decommission onsite systems in favor of a more efficient,
well-monitored community system,” says Galusha.
In addition, the Catskill Watershed Corporation and New York City
Department of Environmental Protection launched the Septic Maintenance
Program, which reimburses homeowners half the cost of pumping or
inspecting their systems. More recently, they launched the Small Business
Septic Repair Program that provides partial reimbursement for commercial
septic repairs and replacements.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency does offer management
guidance for local authorities. In 2003, the EPA published a set of
voluntary guidelines for septic system oversight, identifying five
basic management models that local agencies could adopt. The
models form a spectrum. At one extreme is full reliance on the
homeowner for repair and maintenance. At the other is the transfer
of ownership of individual septic systems to local authorities, which
then assume responsibility for upkeep.
States with waterways in crisis because of nutrient pollution are
taking steps to slash the amount of nitrogen coming from septic
systems. “Septic systems can work well if we give them proper
care and treatment,” Theresa Connor, project development officer
for Colorado State University’s One Water Solutions Institute, told
Circle of Blue. “If we put them in the ground and ignore them, then
we will have pollution problems.”
DESIGN: BUILDING A BETTER TANK
A basic septic system consists of a tank to trap solid waste and
perforated piping to let the liquid percolate into the soil. In theory,
soil microbes break down harmful bacteria and nutrients before they
seep into groundwater, streams or lakes.
Often that is not the case. Water-logged soil during wet periods
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