Talk:Effluent sewer

New article
I rewrote the article, but unfortunately I did not include inline citations. I was learning about effluent sewers at the same time that I was writing the article, and I read many more documents than the list of references on the article page suggests. I am hoping that the article will either be rewritten with inline citations or that someone will provide inline citations during a major re-edit. I felt that having more information without inline citations, was better than having the little information that the old, short article provided. No offense is intended to the previous editors, who did good work. I wish that I had the time to work on the article more, especially since it is a subject that people need more information about. I find that it is a difficult topic to write about because of its many possible variations and the fact that it can be used alongside other wastewater disposal methods, including variations of itself.

From what I have read, effluent sewers have been tried in only a handful of areas, at least when it comes to existing towns, and could be very important for new developments. However, the subject is extremely important for communities that need to switch from septic tanks. Septic tanks work well for very small, but concentrated towns (villages may be more appropriate), as well as towns that consist of widely-spaced houses, such as farmland or mansions on large lots. However, a small town that continues to grow outward, as well as more concentrated, can reach a point where septic tanks have negative effects that cannot be lived with or minimized to a tolerable level without switching wastewater disposal systems. Perhaps the most common negative effect is groundwater pollution by nitrates, as septic systems do not treat nitrates and cannot be easily modified to do so.

Effluent sewerage is a new type of system that is radically different and faces not just the typical, and perhaps healthy, suspicion of new ideas, but also the extreme resistance and/or immediate dismissal by those not open to new ways of doing things. This may include politicians, wastewater professionals, appointed government officials, like the head of the sewer department, as well as the staff of that department.

Of course, all types of wastewater disposal have advantages and disadvantages, and I do not want the article to be biased. In my opinion, what type of system is appropriate - gravity, effluent or septic tank, is dependent of the situation, which can be extremely complex because there are so many factors to consider - I am talking about dealing with a sizable city, not just a tiny town or a development with dozens or hundreds of units. It is a question of what type of system provides many advantages, as well as disadvantages that can either be dealt with, minimized or lived with in a specific situation. However, it is not simply what system provides the most advantages and/or fewest disadvantages because it may have one or more disadvantages that make it a deal breaker, with cost being a frequent deal breaker. Also, it should be taken into consideration that the magnitudes of the advantages and disadvantages of the different systems are often very different. For example, "high cost" might be listed or given as a disadvantage on two different systems, but one of the systems may cost three times more than the other. In addition, one system may have a high initial cost to build it, while another may have a lower cost to build, but a much higher cost to run and/or maintain. Another example is "leakage of wastewater into the environment", which is a problem in real life. One system may leak a couple of gallons of raw sewage on or near the surface of the ground per year, while the other may leak hundreds of gallons of partially treated wastewater into the ground per week.

Please feel free to edit the article as you like. However, please remember that some sources are extremely biased for or against a type of sewer. One reason for this is that some towns are in the middle of trying to decide what type of sewer to build, and many of the people involved have strong opinions on the subject. A big reason for the strong opinions is the high cost of constructing a wastewater treatment system, especially in an existing town. Even distributed and/or effluent systems are going to have a significant cost, even if it might be much less than other types, depending on the situation. Also, the placement of the treatment plant (if a conventional sewer is chosen) can be problematic because of the smell (while the smell can be completely eliminated with filters, covers and such, it adds additional costs). In addition, some environmental groups or business organizations may be promoting the system they think is the best, which may be for a specific town or for all situations. I suggest checking multiple, diverse sources before making up your mind on what to write. -- Kjkolb (talk) 03:37, 7 August 2012 (UTC)