Where's the Break-Even Point?

To the Editor:

In response to your recent "Breaking Ground" column ("Who's More Efficient?" in Onsite Installer, October 2012): Bean counters like to measure absolutes, especially when it comes to efficiency.

Granted, smaller wastewater treatment systems are less efficient. However, a small amount of pollution does not have the same effect as the absolute larger amount of pollution added by larger systems. Even though the cost (measured in whatever) decreases with increased size, the total amount of pollution also increases, and with that, the ability of the environment to handle it decreases.

In this case, the economy of scale becomes less efficient the larger the enterprise. In addition, due to combination sewer and storm systems, the whole system shuts down in wet-weather events, contributing huge amounts of pollution of a different type. I hope the bean counters included this in their method.

I do believe that at some point a centralized system is necessary, and I would hope that scientists would look at where this break-even point is.

Steven Balogh

Contractor's Plumbing Services

St. Joseph, Mo.