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By
Elizabeth Cutright
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| Elizabeth Cutright |
“If you build it, they will come …”
But what if they are already here? In the film Field of Dreams, the protagonist builds his fabled baseball diamond amid cornfields months before the actual visitors begin to arrive. Unfortunately, in the real world, the bodies can accumulate before the accommodations are complete. In fact, many suburban and rural areas throughout the country are experiencing population explosions due to the expansion of corporate operations and the realization of homeowning stragglers that it may be time to ditch the pricey real estate for something a little more affordable—something located, perhaps, in that charming small town an hour or more outside the city.
We are in the midst of a metamorphosis: The landscape of rural America is changing almost beyond recognition. You can see it in the appearance of new office buildings that mutate the skyline, in the foundations of 100 new homes that pepper previously empty lots, and in the freshly installed stoplights that monitor sprawling suburban byways. Of course, this chaos of construction has challenged local public works organizations tasked with the management of an aging and embattled infrastructure.
When it comes to modifying an area’s current sewer system, the challenge seems particularly daunting. With large-scale repair and replacement required, the possibility of adding new sewer hookups is almost unthinkable. In addition, it can take a decade or more to design and install new sewer lines and treatment facilities.
Thankfully, innovation and inspiration are not confined to urban areas. In fact, the small towns and rural outposts of America are on the frontlines, exploring and installing all variety of onsite water treatment systems. Officials in St. Paul, VA, for example, are challenging public perception and altering traditional practices by looking beyond centralized sewer for creative and flexible alternatives.
Located in a region known as “the heart of Appalachia,” St. Paul and its neighbors are familiar with large-scale infrastructure improvements. By harnessing the resources available at both the state and the federal level, the community was able—over the course of several years—to expand and improve its water system so that now 95% of the area’s citizens have access to potable water.
Unfortunately, St. Paul’s sewer system did not receive the same attention. As a result, the city finds itself in a difficult situation: Although it is experiencing an economic upswing brought about by arrival of high-tech companies and their employees, the influx of new residents threatens to overwhelm the existing treatment system. In addition, new housing developments and commercial buildings cannot be established as long as the centralized system remains in place. As a result, the “powers that be” (everyone from state delegates to department of health officials to private citizens) are advocating the widespread implementation of decentralized wastewater treatment systems throughout the region.
We all know the world is getting smaller and those remote outposts are not quite so isolated anymore. It’s not just a matter of surviving this altered landscape; in order to thrive, small communities must implement forward-thinking master plans: projects and developments designed to capitalize on the economic and environmental benefits offered by installation of decentralized wastewater treatment systems. Economically feasible, operationally flexible, and environmentally sound, onsite water treatment systems deserve to be the rule rather than the exception—particularly when it comes to new construction projects. We should all look to St. Paul not just as an example of what to do but also as a blueprint for what must be done. If they can do it in Appalachia, it can be done just about anywhere.
OW - November/December 2007 |
