Browsing by Author "Elliott, Mark A"

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    Wastewater Access and Affordability Challenges in the U.S.: the Current Situation and Proposed Solutions for Equitable Access to Safely Managed Sanitation
    (University of Alabama Libraries, 2023) Maxcy-Brown, Jillian; Elliott, Mark A
    The United Nations has declared it a human right to have access to affordable and reliable safely managed sanitation (wastewater management), but despite decades of global efforts, there are still millions of people across the world, including estimated 8.4 million residents of high-income countries, for whom this has not been realized. In the United States, reports indicate that populations in rural and urban areas are relying on unsafely managed wastewater treatment which is a threat to both public and environmental health. The objectives of this dissertation were to investigate the scope and impacts of inadequate wastewater management for onsite and decentralized systems, to evaluate the mechanisms utilized to collect household level wastewater data, and to develop a methodology to equitably evaluate wastewater access affordability for sewered and unsewered residents in the U.S. This research found there is relatively widespread usage of straight pipes, failing septic tank systems, cesspools, failing outhouses, bucket latrines, open defecation and incomplete indoor plumbing across the U.S. in areas with challenging climate and geological conditions, low annual household incomes, and/or populations of residents experiencing homelessness. The dissertation explains the challenges to understanding the extent of unsafely managed sanitation, factors that limit access to safely managed sanitation, and barriers to addressing these wastewater issues. These include, but are not limited to, the limitations in comprehensive data collection and accessible funding mechanisms, the impacts of structural racisms, and the specific challenges faced by households, small communities, and people experiencing homelessness. The research reveals the limitations of existing datasets to comprehensively collect household level wastewater data that captures these nationwide inequities. The dissertation also establishes a novel methodology for mapping statewide wastewater access affordability based on the diverse range of system expenses and household annual incomes in Alabama. In addition to these findings, the dissertation proposes a suite of recommendations for long-term solutions that will enable all residents to have reliable and affordable access to safely managed sanitation within the funding and regulatory context of the U.S.