As of June 2007, within the New River watershed 22 privately owned, direct discharge package waste water treatment plants have a combined permitted daily flow of over 1,100,000 gallons per day into our low flow tidal waterway. In addition there are over 15,000 both onsite and off-site septic systems spread throughout. Burgeoning developments will only increase these discharges. With no central waste water treatment system available for the foreseeable future, all new developments will dispose of waste water through additional private package plants or septic systems.
Many of the privately owned waste water treatment plants are regularly penalized for violations to their NPDES permit yet those permits are routinely renewed without corrective actions being undertaken. The majority of these plants are small, but nearly all of their effluent finds its way into nutrient sensitive portions of the New River.
No monitoring of septic systems exists in North Carolina beyond initial installation. Soil composition variations from pure sand to heavy clay combined with a normally high water table contribute to a very high failure rate for septic systems. As a result of consistent population turnover due to frequent personnel transfers at the two military bases, many people are introduced to septic systems for the first time and are ignorant of proper operation and maintenance requirements. The cursory initial installation requirements, lack of proper maintenance, and lack of routine inspections explain but do not remedy the problem. Only effective education and inspection programs can reduce the number of failed septic systems. New River can ill afford the constant introduction of improperly treated waste water due to poorly maintained privately owned package treatment plants and malfunctioning septic systems. A realistic approach to waste water treatment must be undertaken to prevent the ever increasing fecal bacteria contamination being experienced throughout this watershed.
