Assessing the Socio-Environmental Risk of Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems to Inform Management Decisions
Assessing the Socio-Environmental Risk of Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems to Inform Management Decisions
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DOI：
10.1021/acs.est.0c03909
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发表时间：
2020-12-01
影响因子：
11.4
通讯作者：
Parsons, Rebecca
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Capps, Krista A.;McDonald, Jacob M. Bateman;Parsons, Rebecca
量化现场废物处理系统（OWTS），如化粪池系统，对人类健康和环境的风险是自然资源管理的一个关键组成部分。我们整合了环境和社会人口数据，以评估与化粪池基础设施相关的潜在环境风险和环境正义问题。我们利用这一过程制定了一个可适用于其他司法管辖区的框架。我们发现，只有8%的注册OWTS提出了潜在的环境风险，由于其位置的地形，水文，或土壤特性。相比之下，近70%的OWTS由于年龄（25岁或以上）而存在潜在的环境风险。我们估计，大约60%的OWTS因年龄或安置而面临风险，这些OWTS被发现在人口普查区，超过30%的人口生活在贫困线以下，人口超过50%是非白人，或者主要是非白人和贫困。我们的工作表明，有关化粪池基础设施的信息有限的司法管辖区可能能够使用地理空间数据，他们必须预测OWTS的包裹级位置。然后，这些位置可以用于通知环境监测，以主动解决环境正义问题。
Quantifying the risk that failing onsite waste treatment systems (OWTS), such as septic systems, present to human health and the environment is a key component in natural resource management. We integrated environmental and socio-demographic data to assess the potential environmental risk and environmental justice concerns related to septic infrastructure. We used this process to develop a framework that can be applied in other jurisdictions. We found only 8% of the registered OWTS presented potential environmental risk due to the topographic, hydrologic, or edaphic characteristics of their placement. In contrast, almost 70% of the OWTS presented potential environmental risk due to their age (25 years or older). Approximately 60% of the OWTS we estimated to be at risk from age or placement were found in census blocks with more than 30% of the population living below the poverty line, had a population that was more than 50% nonwhite, or was predominantly nonwhite and impoverished. Our work suggests that jurisdictions with limited information about septic infrastructure may be able to use geospatial data that they do have to predict the parcel-level locations of OWTS. These locations can then be used to inform environmental monitoring to proactively address environmental justice concerns.