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+--- Thread: Subsurface water quality recommendations (/showthread.php?tid=2628)
Subsurface water quality recommendations - peteadams - 12-19-2006
Goal: Maintain subsurface water quality
Objective: Eliminate residential sources of groundwater pollution
Recommendation: No cesspools allowed for any new building
Recommendation: Require septic system or composting toilets for single family residence
Recommendation: Require aerobic wastewater treatment or composting toilets for new dwellings within 1000' of drilled wells or SMA areas
Recommendation: Require aerobic wastewater treatment or composting toilets for new intensive (less than 1 acre) development
Recommendation: Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement to assess wastewater contamination of the Puna aquifer comparing septic systems versus aerobic systems as a function of expected increased population.
Discussion: Increasing population has a clear impact on groundwater quality (in areas less blessed with rainfall than Puna, it also has an impact on groundwater availability). We are concerned that Puna's highly draining subsurface structure very quickly moves minimally treated wastewater into our aquifers. With towns and villages typically drilling wells for high volume water usage water water quality will decline as population increases. In addition, while better than cesspools, septic systems offer a relatively low level of treatment. Therefore, for areas of intensive development full aerobic wastewater treatment (or composting toilets) should be required.