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By
Elizabeth Cutright
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| Elizabeth Cutright |
What is the future of onsite water treatment? There are times when one wonders, “What’s next?” It seems quite reasonable to look up from the grindstone periodically to check that you’re headed in the right direction. Sometimes the impetus to look ahead comes from some internal suspicion that you’ve gotten off track. On other occasions, a simple question is all it takes.
In order to know where you’re going, it helps to look at where you’ve been. In the beginning, large, centrally located water treatment facilities made sense. Consolidating operations allowed municipalities to control all aspects of wastewater treatment. Unfortunately, as the tentacles of city water systems were stretched to accommodate expanding communities, effective control became a challenge. The answer, for many, was to forgo central control for smaller, decentralized systems.
Another incentive propelling the switch to onsite treatment systems comes from the increasing cost of water in the face of exponential growth. The prevalence of onsite systems in many communities can be attributed to the high cost of expanding current urban wastewater treatment facilities to accommodate suburban growth. According to the National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association (NOWRA), onsite systems now provide more than 40% of the wastewater treatment services to residential areas, communities, shopping centers, and commercial businesses throughout the US.
Austin, TX, in many ways exemplifies how decentralized systems are changing the national water treatment landscape. Over the past two decades, Austin has morphed into one of the fastest growing cities in the country. This growth spurt has spawned concerns over potential adverse impacts to the environment. In addition, the city must deal with developing an infrastructure able to handle its increased population and resultant housing density.
In response to these challenges, the city has developed two programs: the Alternative Wastewater Collection System Program and the On-Site Sewage Facilities (OSSF) Program. The first program provides support for customers using traditional wastewater/septic systems or non-standard alternative systems on private property, including residential and commercial facilities. The OSSF, on the other hand, involves the future of wastewater treatment in Austin. Under the program, the City of Austin Water will work with its consultant, Community Environmental Services Inc., to “identify and evaluate a variety of alternative wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal technologies for their suitability and cost-effectiveness for environmental conditions in the study area and to evaluate approaches for effectively managing decentralized wastewater systems.”
The goals outlined in Austin’s OSSF Program can be applied to any onsite water treatment system. The success of any decentralized water treatment system depends, in part, on effective resource management: how we can get the most from what we’ve got. This includes finding cost-effective and environmentally sound solutions.
In March of this year, I was privileged to attend Water for Life, the first international program in the US on decentralized water systems. Representatives from 15 countries participated in the event, which was co-sponsored by NOWRA, the Water Environment Research Foundation, and the International Water Association. From Europe to Asia to the Middle East, the global reach of the program served to emphasize the double-edged sword of onsite water treatment: Water joins us across continents, but successful resource management ultimately hinges on local efforts. In the same way, water needs join a variety of industries and municipalities, but effective water management hinges on decentralized, onsite water treatment facilities.
It is the goal of Onsite Water Treatment to be your guide as you explore the possibilities of onsite water treatment. There are some pitfalls and quagmires to watch out for, like incorrect product installation or lack of system maintenance. There are some tried and true treatment options worth revisiting, including aeration and membrane treatment. Maybe you need to take a side trip to explore your septic options or get back on track with your current installation. Either way, our mission is to provide you with useful tools to help you navigate these treatment waters, now and in the future.
OW - May/June 2007 |
