Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - (Page 36)

Developments can incorporate high- and low-density elements to provide both urban-village and estate settings within a single development. Onsite wastewater management, upper left of rendering, makes variable density possible. health goals are best achieved, ceding jurisdiction to the agency better qualified to regulate the specific installation. The FDEP and FDH also consult with other state and local agencies—building, utility regulation, planning, and community development—when decisions possibly impact their jurisdictions. The dual goals of the agencies’ approach are consistent and efficient administration and enforcement of Florida’s public health, public safety, and environment and efficient, timely, and accurate processing of owners’ applications. Florida is by no means alone in its approach. Other states have already or are in the process of adapting similar approaches. Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington, Wisconsin, and Virginia are among the states that recognize performance-based approaches and provide coordinated regulations to allow for their use. Alabama has developed a board to administer decentralizedwastewater utilities. These states use TAC’s, code committees, coordinated regulations, and standardized processes to review and adopt emerging products and practices for decentralized wastewater management. Management is the Key Regulators, developers, and homeowners all acknowledge that system management has been the weakest link to ensuring that installations perform in accordance with applicable requirements The EPA “Response to Congress” was followed by a second document acknowledging this weakness. The EPA proposed five levels of management, with the highest two levels incorporating private or utility ownership and perpetual management. Regulators have required perpetual management as a minimum requirement for individual performance-based systems. Where a developer proposes multiple smaller or a single large system to serve a development, the requirements may include utility or government ownership. Fortunately, management has become quite affordable thanks to the development of inexpensive telemetry systems that provide real-time operational status and may include two-way communication for access and control. Gone are the days of roving maintenance staff relying upon calendars and area maps to dictate service locations and schedules. Broadband, cellular, and satellite communications, inexpensive sensors, and PLCbased controls allow for 24/7 monitoring, automated maintenance and just-in-time repairs. The system owner can maintain tight control over the decentralized system relying on technology instead of staffing. When water and wastewater-system monitoring is integrated, developers or their utilities can implement volumebased billing for each building or dwelling connected to the system. The water and/or wastewater treatment systems are a potential source of recurring revenue. Moreover, decentralized designs can be sufficiently flexible to provide just-in-time construction so that capital is not wasted in excessively large facilities. Where once wastewater management was considered a bane, developers may now consider how they may profit from either providing wastewater management themselves or auctioning off utility rights to potential service providers. Final Thoughts Wastewater management continues to be a central issue related to sustainable development. Emerging practices, products, and regulations are removing barriers, even providing opportunities to profit from the implementation of decentralized wastewater management approaches. Forward thinking developers should explore decentralized wastewater management as a part of their feasibility studies. They may discover hidden opportunities that provide competitive advantages, lower capital costs, and, possibly, recurring revenue streams that traditional approaches do not provide. SLDT Images courtesy of St. John’s Village, Wewahitchka, Florida. About the author: Bennette D. Burks, P.E. is with 3-Engineering, LLC based in Richmond, Virginia. He can be reached at 804-873-5000 or Burks@3-eng.com. Circle 194 • or www.SLDTonline.com/webcard 36 November/December 2008 Sustainable Land Development Today http://www.aquashieldinc.com http://www.SLDTonline.com/webcard

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008

Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 Contents Our Voice Editorial Board SLDT Resources The BottomLine Go Forth and Tread Lightly on the Land It’s About Name Recognition Managing Risk in the Sustainable Building Frontier Industry Spotlight Achieving Sustainable Land Development Worthy of Recognition Stormwater Wastewater Erosion Control Innovation Classifieds Advertiser Index Last Word

Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008

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