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By
Elizabeth Cutright
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| Elizabeth Cutright |
Decentralized wastewater treatment is poised to join the fight against global warming.
Of the many buzzwords floating around the water and wastewater industry lately, it seems to me that sustainability and climate change are the most popular and the most problematic. The difficulty lies in applying clear definitions: What do those terms mean and how do they specifically affect our water and wastewater systems?
If possible, I’d like to avoid tumbling into the fight over definitions and clarifications, and instead focus on the role decentralized systems can play in mitigating the impact of climate change and shrinking water supplies.
At first glance, the connection between global warming and onsite water treatment may seem tenuous. After all, what do septic systems have to do with greenhouse gases? The answer: location, location, location.
It’s precisely because these small systems work at a local level that they are in the position to do the most good. By avoiding the bureaucracies inherent in large-scale centralized systems, individual or small party control of decentralized systems allows for quick modifications and the easy addition of new technologies. An onsite system can incorporate reverse osmosis, UV treatment, and water reuse easily, without much fanfare and a proportionately bigger impact.
In addition, decentralized water treatment can attack the problem of a shrinking water supply in two ways. First, by discharging potable-quality water back into the water supply we curtail the amount of water “lost” to pollution. Second, by combining onsite water treatment with water reuse, we can ensure that valuable drinking water is not squandered on green lawns in the desert or urban car washes.
In a speech before the National Rural Water Association (NRWA, Philadelphia, PA, 2007), Benjamin Grumbles, assistant administrator for water at the EPA, outlined the connection between decentralized systems and environmental stewardship when he said, “Sustainability means not just focusing on big centralized systems but small decentralized systems, as well.”
“Water efficiency is a way to reduce greenhouse emissions,” said Grumbles, as he laid out the relationship between water and energy. By pointing out that every drop of water used translates into watts needed for delivery and treatment, Grumbles effectively argued that infrastructure upkeep—and well-maintained decentralized systems—can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and help diminish greenhouse gas emissions.
Because the NRWA’s core audience consists primarily of municipal water professionals, Grumbles’ decision to highlight the importance of decentralized systems in terms of sustainability and climate change bodes well for the future of the industry. Although Grumbles alluded to the troubled past of onsite water treatment typified by failing septic systems and pollution, what is most compelling is Grumbles’ acknowledgement that municipal water systems—especially those in rural areas—must include decentralized wastewater treatment in their future water resource management plans.
For the most part, municipal wastewater treatment is associated with centralized systems like city sewers. In contrast, decentralized wastewater treatment has been considered the realm for nongovernmental entities, either in the form of individual homeowners manning their septic tanks or industrial/commercial sites forced into some form of water “cleanup” in order to comply with discharge regulations. These distinctions still hold true, but the refinement of treatment technologies, ever-grander land development, and the push to “green” public and private industry has allowed onsite water treatment to bleed into the municipal market, where it can reach its full potential and vastly improve the management and conservation of our water resources.
Grumbles concluded, “You are in a unique position to help with the decentralized system challenge.” His statement is nothing less than a call to arms. Communities must use every weapon in their arsenal to protect our water supply and fight global warming. It seems clear that the one often-overlooked weapon may end up being the most important: That weapon is onsite water treatment.
OW - January/February 2008 |
