Sustainable Land Development Today - March 2009 - (Page 9)

“One set of principles with which we work is the notion that we need to reduce the carbon, the nutrient and the water footprint. A larger portion of the cost of traditional sewer particularly in the west is the energy costs associated with transport,” he said. There needs to be a greater effort to drive home the importance of getting more than one use out of the supply of fresh water, according to Stephens. “As a decentralized wastewater industry, we have not yet educated mainstream decision-makers and practitioners with regard to the advantages of reuse approaches; and existing regulations and regulators present significant obstacles,” he said. “Furthermore, almost without exception, we have not created the management structure at the local level that is capable of assuring the proper protection of public health and the environment by guaranteeing proper designs, construction and operation of systems.” “We face a major challenge in this country to find the resources to fix these problems. We have created an unsustainable infrastructure in many areas. Replacing big pipes with bigger pipes, or another parallel pipe, is a money pit,” Stephens said. “We are still piping water to and from surface developments, with significant amounts of that water being used for non-potable purposes. We could be using those resources that are flowing beneath our streets and parks for uses on the surface.” SLDT About the author: Frank Hill is a freelance writer and frequent contributor to Sustainable Land Development Today. For more information: www.bnm-us.com www.aquapoint.com Prepare your community for tomorrow with Connexion Technologies… Final Notes Stephens said he is a strong believer in water reuse as the way to go in the creation of a sustainable wastewater infrastructure and sewer mining can be an effective and lasting way of extending the life of our existing wastewater infrastructure. Though it may represent a higher, up-front capital investment, it usually has a long-term payback. “It does require the decision-makers involved to be visionary in their thinking. There is no doubt in my mind that the widespread use of reclaimed wastewater for non-potable uses is the only sustainable approach for the future of our wastewater infrastructure in this country, and many parts of the world,” he said. Buried sewer pipes are typically designed to carry three to five times average flow capacity so they can handle much higher flows, primarily during wet weather. When they are flooded, many are designed to overflow into streams and other waterways to avoid backing up into homes. The result is raw sewage getting into surface water creating a significant health hazard. You can provide for the ever-changing technological needs of residents without touching your budget. By partnering with Connexion Technologies to install a cutting-edge Fiber to the Home network in your community, your residents can enjoy the best entertainment and communications services handle almost any new service that comes to market. Find out more at www.connexiontechnologies.net or contact us at 919.535.7329. Circle 145 • or www.SLDTonline.com/webcard www.SLDTonline.com 9 http://www.bnm-us.com http://www.aquapoint.com http://www.connexiontechnologies.net http://www.connexiontechnologies.net http://www.SLDTonline.com/webcard http://www.SLDTonline.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sustainable Land Development Today - March 2009

Sustainable Land Development Today - March 2009 Contents Our Voice: Energy Savings Accounts Mining the Sewers for On-site Reuse Modern Flood Disasters The Financial Challenge of Leed® Technology: Opportunities Exist to Buy in Now SLDI In Focus: A Look Inside Calendar of Events Energy: Solar Power on Rails Industry News Products & Services The Bottom Line: Green Lending – Class G Advertiser Index Editorial Board SLDT Resources Last Word: Not All Gloom & Doom

Sustainable Land Development Today - March 2009

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.