EPA hosts webinar on Surface Discharge of Raw Wastewater among Unsewered Homes in Central Alabama

Washington, D.C. — As part of the Decentralized Wastewater Webcast Series, EPA is hosting a webinar, Surface Discharge of Raw Wastewater among Unsewered Homes in Central Alabama.

More than one in five households in the US depend on an individual onsite system or small community cluster system to treat their wastewater. However, there are numerous reports of direct discharge of raw sewage to the ground surface through “straight pipes” in some poor rural areas. This is an ongoing problem for central Alabama where conventional septic systems fail regularly, due to the impermeable clayey soils of the area.

The University of Alabama conducted onsite inspections of approximately 1,000 group-randomized properties in two central Alabama counties to determine how common straight pipes are among unsewered homes. Data from Hale County are currently being prepared; preliminary data from Wilcox County indicate that more than 60 percent of unsewered homes discharge raw sewage through straight pipes. This webinar explores multiple methods for researching this issue, and potential solutions.

The webinar will be held from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. on March 28, 2017.

To register, visit: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1481870475279315715.

For additional information on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Decentralized Wastewater MOU Partnership and past recorded webinars, visit https://www.epa.gov/septic.