Suppose you had a farm of about 25 acres and your neighbor had a farm of about 75 acres. What if the government said it wanted to give you fertilizer to help grow your crops, but when it came time to get that fertilizer you received one bag and your neighbor received 500 bags. Would you feel you were treated fairly?
That’s pretty much the situation our industry faces when it comes to getting its fair share of the U.S. EPA Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF), and it’s the reason NOWRA believes the industry needs a lobbyist in Washington.
Although the onsite industry serves 20 to 30 percent of homes in the U.S., it receives only a tiny fraction of SRF funding. The latest EPA data (2008) shows that only $9 million of the $5.5 billion available that year was spent on “individual/decentralized sewage.” Almost all of the rest went to municipal sewer projects. That’s roughly one cent for every five dollars received by central sewer interests. And it’s patently unfair.
Tell the story
Our industry has a terrific story. Properly installed and maintained, onsite systems are an ecologically sound, energy-efficient and safe solution. They are often more cost-effective than sewer extensions, even in suburban and urban areas. They safely recharge aquifers.
Septage pumped from onsite systems provides an excellent and safe fertilizer in agricultural applications. Onsite systems and technologies have a key role in the movement toward integrated watershed management.
These are all important stories to share with the public, regulators and the environmental community, but they are unlikely to be told if onsite systems continue to be treated as the ugly stepchild of big-pipe systems.
To be sure, our industry has its challenges: too many poorly functioning systems, poor maintenance by consumers, a fragmented regulatory structure, public misconceptions about the benefits of onsite systems, and others. All this contributes to a situation where negative media coverage about onsite systems often goes unchallenged. The industry’s interests are often steamrolled by better-funded and better-organized interest groups when it comes to securing more favorable regulation and support at all levels.
A funding issue
Many of our problems are the direct result of insufficient funds. If we received funding commensurate with the number of homes and businesses we serve, our annual share of SRF money would be $1.0 to $1.5 billion annually. Other sources, such as the USDA Rural Development program, also fall short in funding for onsite and decentralized projects.
With a fairer share of federal funds, problems with public image and education, practitioner training and development, remediation of problem systems, and many other issues could be addressed far more effectively. More money would also help stabilize companies facing a difficult economy and would likely increase employment within the industry.
NOWRA strongly believes a starting point is a lobbying effort intended to secure a fairer share of federal funding for our industry. This effort will only work if the onsite community recognizes the need to work together to enlarge the pie for everyone involved. Additional funding from the SRF or other federal sources could help:
• Fix failing onsite systems.
• Prevent future failures by encouraging proper maintenance and service.
• Educate the public about the benefits of onsite treatment.
• Empower and encourage states to develop the capacity to win and manage federal funding for onsite and decentralized projects.
• Develop standards of professionalism to curtail substandard, shoddy work and dishonest or fraudulent activity.
• Encourage faster and more consistent transfer of new technologies from the research stage to commercialization.
Setting the direction
NOWRA has taken a number of steps to move forward with a lobbying effort. We have established the Coalition for Onsite Wastewater Equity to bring the industry together around the goal of increasing federal funding. The group includes NOWRA, other national organizations, state affiliates, the manufacturing community, and interested individuals.
The coalition has begun fundraising to hire a lobbyist to represent our industry before the EPA and Congress. Many manufacturers have stepped up with financial support. Other members of the coalition are well placed to provide technical support, public and media relations, and grassroots advocacy.
The coalition is evaluating lobbying firms with environmental and wastewater advocacy experience. A steering committee of coalition members is being assembled. Its role will be to define specific goals for the lobbying effort and to provide feedback on strategic approaches suggested by the lobbying firm.
We envision the lobbying campaign as a two-year effort initially to increase the industry’s share of federal funding. As is often the case when working through federal channels, progress is likely to occur through incremental victories. If the effort shows progress, the coalition will have shown the value of working together and should be able to broaden its efforts.
This effort is not intended to add to the deficit or increase government spending. The money the industry is seeking is already obligated, and onsite systems are specifically identified as eligible for funding. We simply want our fair share.
Eric Casey is executive director of NOWRA. He can be reached at 800/ 966-2942 or wecasey@comcast.net.
