Odum School of Ecology and the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, 140 E. Green Street, Athens, Georgia 30602-0002, United States.
Institute for Environmental and Spatial Analysis, Watkins Academic Building, University of North Georgia, 3820 Mundy Mill Road, Gainesville, Georgia 30503-1358, United States.
Environ Sci Technol. 2020 Dec 1;54(23):14843-14853. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.0c03909. Epub 2020 Nov 15.
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.
量化未能正常运行的现场废物处理系统（OWTS），如化粪池系统，对人类健康和环境造成的风险，是自然资源管理的关键组成部分。我们整合了环境和社会人口统计数据，以评估与化粪池基础设施相关的潜在环境风险和环境公正问题。我们使用这个过程来开发一个可以在其他司法管辖区应用的框架。我们发现，由于其位置的地形、水文或土壤特征，只有 8%的已注册 OWTS 存在潜在的环境风险。相比之下，近 70%的 OWTS 由于其年龄（25 年或以上）而存在潜在的环境风险。我们估计有 60%左右的 OWTS 由于年龄或位置而面临风险，这些 OWTS 位于贫困线以下的人口比例超过 30%的普查区，人口中非白人比例超过 50%，或者主要是非白人和贫困。我们的工作表明，那些对化粪池基础设施了解有限的司法管辖区可能能够利用他们现有的地理空间数据来预测 OWTS 的包裹级位置。然后可以使用这些位置来告知环境监测，以主动解决环境公正问题。
