Articles | Case Studies | Concept Tour

In many communities in Northeast Ohio, extension of wastewater treatment lines from city sewer plants is either cost prohibitive or a low priority. The wastewater treatment method of choice for residential development in these communities is the standard septic leachfield, which disposes of each home’s wastewater on the individual lot by settling out the solids in a septic tank, and then leaching the liquids into the soil through perforated pipe in a filter bed. The standard leachfield takes up a lot of space, often requiring lots of at least 2 acres to accommodate them, particularly in poorer draining soils. In addition, the standard leach field often fails, due to poor individual maintenance, or inappropriate use in poorly draining soils, resulting in substantial impact to local water quality.

This scenario creates a difficulty for environmentally sound development. How can large areas of open space be set aside, as in Conservation Development, when wastewater treatment practices require the homes and lots be spread widely out over the landscape? Such a development pattern results in more runoff into local water bodies, poorer quality runoff, and the destruction of more vegetation and habitat than a comparable Conservation Development. It also results in the replacement of a traditional rural settlement pattern — groups of buildings set in wide open spaces, with a suburban one — individual buildings spaced evenly across the land.

There are alternative systems that take up less space, and have less impact to the water quality of our streams and water bodies, and make site design more flexible. These include individual systems that are more compact versions of the septic leach field. They also include small community systems that may serve a number of homes, through biological processes that are more user- and environment- friendly than the traditional package plant. These systems have been used extensively in other Great Lakes states, and hold much promise as they are slowly introduced and evaluated in Ohio.

In the meantime, some communities in our region are developing Conservation Development zoning codes that provide an interim approach to reducing lot sizes in non-sewered areas, thereby allowing more open space conservation.

This approach is based on two principles:

First, the use of conservation easements on the large private lots which are worded so the easement-protected land effectively acts as common open space. In this scenario, the same large lots are laid out, with a home and septic leach field on each lot — but a linked set of easements across part of each lot (usually the back) provides for vegetation and habitat management, prohibits fencing or other obstructions, and provides for a trail accessible by all residents.

The second is the use of septic leachfield easements in the common open space which provide the individual landowner with the rights and responsibilities of wastewater management. In this scenario, the lot is sized to accommodate the home and the initial septic tank and leachfield; but the replacement leach field area is sited in the common open space, in an individual legally defined easement held by the landowner. The landowner has the right to use the area for the replacement leach field (if it becomes needed), and is responsible for maintaining the system. However, the land remains part of the common open space, and is managed along with the rest of the open area.

Communities use these two techniques alone or in combination, depending on their base density and the review of the local county health department. For example, a community with a 3-acre lot size may provide a 50% open space dedication by allowing the lots to be reduced to 1-1/2 acres, with an additional half-acre wastewater mangement easement in the common open space for the replacement leach field. Another community may require 3-acre lots, with 1-1/2 acres of each lot placed in a dedicated conservation easement. Another community may take a more prescriptive approach by requiring a 50% open space dedication through either conservation easements or wastewater easements, or a combination of the two, depending on the dictates of the site and design.

Neither of these approaches quite provides the design flexibility or environmental benefit that the alternative systems will provide in the long run. And the management of several individual easements can be more difficult than the management of one community system with one large common open area. Of course, in communities where zoning has historically been based on septic leachfield requirements, special attention needs to be paid to proper planning and technical study to establish logical densities that apply no matter what wastewater system is available. But some local communities are doing just that - and the results will yield a development pattern that is gentler on the environment, acceptable to the community, and supported by development and real estate professionals.

The Countryside Program is actively researching wastewater alternatives and their technical, legal and planning implications. Watch this column for more information over the next year.