Synthesizing Methods for Quantifying Water and Wastewater Accessibility and Impacts on Private Well and Septic System Users

Abstract

Many communities, both rural and peri-urban, rely on private drinking water wells and septic systems for water and wastewater treatment. Private well and septic system failures create a contamination risk, threatening public health. Additionally, the installation and maintenance costs of these systems are the sole responsibility of the system owner with limited access to resources for financial assistance. Therefore, some users face challenges accessing safe and affordable water and sanitation. This dissertation investigates these challenges for Alabama and Kentucky and recommends mitigation measures. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 contain the bulk of the research. Chapter 3 focuses on the affordability of private wells, Chapter 4 on the impacts of socioeconomic variables on well contamination, and Chapter 5 on septic suitability and affordability. Analysis is completed using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to analyze spatial patterns of water affordability, contamination, and sociodemographic variables. This dissertation applies, expands, and recommends various methodologies to quantify the burdens faced by well and septic system users. To measure affordability several metrics are used: percent median household income, number of households beneath affordability thresholds, and hours worked at minimum wage. The main findings include that capital costs are the greatest determinant of private well affordability and that well users often face affordability burdens. Additionally, risk ranking provides a robust framework for burden assessments for tailored mitigation measures. For septic systems, soil characteristics and state-specific regulations determine areas where expensive alternative septic systems are required. Therefore, these variables also affect affordability challenges as alternative systems are far more expensive than conventional septic systems. These findings illuminate the challenges of water and wastewater access. Understanding these challenges is key to protecting public health and promoting equitable water and wastewater treatment access. For well and septic system users, affordability challenges may impede their ability to repair or replace these systems. Without necessary funding, these systems malfunction and threaten public health. However, when the burdens of private well and septic systems are better understood, policy changes and mitigation efforts can better protect the rights of system users. These efforts protect and promote the human right to water and sanitation.