{"id":766,"date":"2021-12-06T12:39:40","date_gmt":"2021-12-06T12:39:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/atacrossroads.whro.org\/?p=766"},"modified":"2021-12-20T05:36:12","modified_gmt":"2021-12-20T05:36:12","slug":"a-growing-problem-underground-sea-level-rise-is-compromising-septic-systems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atacrossroads.whro.org\/?p=766","title":{"rendered":"A growing problem underground: Sea level rise is compromising septic systems"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Photo by Zach Hirsch. As sea levels rise, high tides on sunny days are causing more flooding around Virginia’s Middle Peninsula. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This story is part of\u00a0\u201cAt A Crossroads,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0a WHRO Public Media series exploring how coastal Virginia is dealing with higher waters due to climate change. The project is funded by the\u00a0Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting\u00a0<\/a>as part of its nationwide\u00a0Connected Coastlines reporting initiative<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experts say that\u2019s becoming more common across coastal Virginia, where sea levels are rising at the fastest average rate on the Eastern Seaboard<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soggier soils due to persistent flooding \u2014 along with heavier rainfall and aging tanks \u2014 are expected to cause more widespread septic failures<\/a> over the next few decades. Historically marginalized Virginians could bear the worst of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A rising water table <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jones lives in Suffolk\u2019s rural but densely populated Oakland-Chuckatuck area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He and many of his neighbors, who are predominantly Black, have been trying to get better sanitation for decades<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many residents previously used outhouses before installing septic tanks. Conversations about a proposed sewer line \u2014 which would connect the neighborhood to municipal wastewater \u2014 date back to at least the 1970s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo courtesy of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Septic systems rely on gravity to pull waste into the soil where microorganisms treat and process it. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Not surprisingly, Jones said the smell is \u201cawful\u201d when his septic system backs up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why we call it waste,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not just a nauseating inconvenience. High exposure to septic fumes can cause breathing problems<\/a> and other health issues. Failing systems can also leak raw sewage into nearby creeks and rivers, contaminating them with bacteria, viruses, and nitrogen<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suffolk has done drainage work to help ease flooding, but developers have built new housing that pushes stormwater into people’s yards. Residents say the flooding has never been worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Jones, the septic system problem seems to go away when the ground is dry. But with sea level rise, experts say there are many places in coastal Virginia where the ground may never dry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat we see is that the water table, the groundwater table, is rising,\u201d said Molly Mitchell, a researcher at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. \u201cIf [the system] was installed 30 years ago, the conditions surrounding the septic system have changed since that time. And so you might not have\u2026the level of treatment from the sediment that you had when the system was installed.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although many of the state\u2019s systems are considered beyond their lifespan, Mitchell said exactly how many are at risk is hard to know for sure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers don\u2019t know precisely where all the tanks are. Only a portion of the state\u2019s data on these systems is digital. The other records are on paper, filed away in local government desks. State officials are piecing together available information to expand its database, but for many septic systems, there simply are no records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for how sea level rise will impact septic tanks in the future, Mitchell said it will be a gradual process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt’s going to be one property at a time. But it\u2019s still going to be a lot of properties,\u201d  she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Zach Hirsch. Roosevelt Jones lives in Suffolk’s Oakland-Chuckatuck area. When it rains for a few days, his septic tank backs up and prevents him from using his toilet. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A huge equity problem<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Existing problems are expected to worsen in Suffolk, Chesapeake and southern Virginia Beach. But it\u2019s rural shoreline communities \u2014 such as the Middle Peninsula, Eastern Shore, and Northern Neck \u2014 that could face the worst septic problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tom Hogge has experienced these issues firsthand. He built his house in the low-lying Guinea Neck area of Gloucester County in 1995. Within the first few months, sewage was coming out of the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBrand new home, couldn\u2019t flush the toilet. Washing machine, couldn\u2019t use that,\u201d he said. \u201cDown in this area it\u2019s terrible for septic systems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, the county put in a public sewer line, solving Hogge\u2019s problem. But that\u2019s not always practical in areas where houses are far apart. Other coastal residents need a special, high-tech septic system that can better withstand flooding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s exactly what Robert Hutchens was recently installing for a resident on a waterfront property in Gloucester County.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe’re upgrading an existing system that has failed here. It was constructed in the 1960s,\u201d Hutchens said, standing next to his excavator. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new system treats waste with coconut husks and can cost as much as $50,000. Hutchens knows that\u2019s out of reach for most people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe ones that can afford it obviously will. But those that can’t, you know, they’re going to get their medicine, they’re going to eat before they fix their wastewater system,\u201d Hutchens said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Zach Hirsch. Workers install a new septic system on a property in Gloucester County. The system treats waste with coconut husks.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Access to sanitation is a huge equity issue across the country. In many areas, it affects people of color \u2014 particularly Black residents \u2014 more than white people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historians say that\u2019s partially because after the Civil War, many freed slaves could only acquire property that flooded easily. That same land has been passed down over generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe people that are seeing the problems first and foremost, were those that are victims of structural racism, or were mandated by racial covenants in terms of where they could settle,\u201d said Catherine Coleman Flowers, a national sanitation activist who serves on an environmental justice advisory council for President Biden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other disproportionately impacted groups include lower-income people in rural areas, tribal communities, and immigrants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, marginalized residents are vulnerable to legal consequences. Unaddressed septic issues can mean fines \u2014 even criminal prosecution or eviction \u2014 so, many people don\u2019t come forward for help. But officials say it\u2019s rare in Virginia to actually bring people to court over this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf granny has a failed septic system, [a] commonwealth attorney is not going to take granny to jail, \u201d said State Delegate Keith Hodges, who represents the Middle Peninsula.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe always are in an enforcement posture,\u201d added David Fridley, a manager for the Three Rivers Health District. \u201cBut the real goal is always to solve people’s problems and connect them with resources.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Solutions in the works, but questions remain<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Localities provide grants and loans for homeowners for routine septic service, which is required every five years for people living in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that assistance does not always reach the people who need it. The Northern Neck Planning District Commission has had a septic pump-out program for 15 years, but in its entire history \u2014 and out of a population of about 50,000 \u2014 just 800 people have asked for help, according to commissioner John Bateman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA lot of times, people are certainly reluctant to come forward when they have wastewater issues, especially if they can’t afford the repair,\u201d noted Lance Gregory, director of the Virginia Department of Health\u2019s division focused on septic issues. \u201cSo that\u2019s I think really critical for us, is building that trust with the community.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Zach Hirsch. Failing septic systems can leak raw sewage into nearby creeks and rivers, contaminating them with <\/a>bacteria, viruses and nitrogen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Virginia lawmakers are working on solutions. A new law<\/a> this year set up a statewide fund to help with repairs and replacements. State officials also will start considering the impacts of sea level rise when issuing permits for new septic tanks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The officials say it\u2019ll be a game changer that could be a model for other coastal states with septic issues.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some activists, including Flowers, are skeptical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’ve been doing this for over 20 years,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd everybody has the next best thing, and it hasn’t worked and they’re right back where they started. And the money has been spent, the engineers and all the other officials that charge fees make money and they move on. And the homeowners are left holding the bag.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skip Stiles of the Virginia environmental non-profit Wetlands Watch also wonders what happens in the long run. While he\u2019s supportive of the state\u2019s efforts, he\u2019s not sure whether it\u2019s worth investing in new septic systems in some areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you’re along the shoreline and your septic system is flooding from underneath, it’s sort of like a canary in the coal mine for the fact that within a decade or two your house is going to flood,\u201d Stiles said. \u201cAnd it will be so compromised that we may not want to continue to support people living there. That’s going to be the hardest problem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More coastal communities will have to face that dilemma soon. By 2060, much of the Middle Peninsula, Eastern Shore and Northern Neck could be underwater<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are people already dealing with that now, <\/em>though. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like Roosevelt Jones, the 80-year-old from rural Suffolk. Rainstorms flooded him out last Christmas, and he\u2019s afraid that will happen again this year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd I won’t be able to use my bathroom,\u201d Jones said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jones and his late wife, Catherine, were leading a push to get Suffolk to extend a sewer line to their community and address the flooding problems. That way, their neighbors would never have to deal with a septic back-up again. But, since she died in August, the effort has lost momentum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diana Klink, a city of Suffolk spokesperson, told WHRO that a recent petition for a new sewer line for Jones\u2019s community did not receive enough support. But she said Suffolk has designated $14 million in federal Covid relief funds for water, sewer and stormwater upgrades for the area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jones doubts that will resolve his problems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSeems like to me, I\u2019ll be on my way out like my wife before they even get it done,\u201d Jones said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are more than a million septic systems in Virginia. The rising seas threaten many of them. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":791,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atacrossroads.whro.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atacrossroads.whro.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atacrossroads.whro.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atacrossroads.whro.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atacrossroads.whro.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=766"}],"version-history":[{"count":36,"href":"https:\/\/atacrossroads.whro.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/766\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":882,"href":"https:\/\/atacrossroads.whro.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/766\/revisions\/882"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atacrossroads.whro.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atacrossroads.whro.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atacrossroads.whro.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atacrossroads.whro.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}