Housing starts that utilize decentralized wastewater systems are one indicator of where and when installers would be wise to consider ramping up their services and putting more crews on the job. A recent economic analysis from the National Association of Home Builders gives a regional breakdown of the use of onsite systems in new residential construction. The statistics may be enlightening — and perhaps surprising to some of you.

Overall, the Survey of Construction data showed that nationally, 16 percent of new single-family residential construction in 2015 incorporated septic systems to treat waste rather than hooking into public treatment infrastructure. Across the broad spectrum of the United States, including major metropolitan suburbs and infill of vacant lots in cities, 84 percent of new homes connected to a public sewer.

On its face, the onsite usage statistic may seem low when compared to the government and wastewater industry conclusions that 25 to 30 percent of all Americans are served by decentralized wastewater systems. But we must remember the NAHB survey accounts for only new home construction and not the existing private wastewater infrastructure, which is substantial, well established and far-flung.

REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE

The regional picture is where the builders survey gets interesting — and could shed some light on where the onsite industry will grow more quickly in the coming years.

If you’re working in New England, listen up; it might be time to think about adding another crew. Almost half — 47 percent — of new construction in the northeast (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut) required septic systems. According to the report, new homes in this region are generally custom-built on larger lots.

Robust onsite system construction occurred in the East South Central region — Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama — where 42 percent of new homes were off the public wastewater grid. That’s followed by the East North Central states — Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio — where 26 percent of new homes includes septic systems.

The Middle Atlantic region — New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey — fell below the national average, with only 14 percent of new homes requiring septic systems. The number dipped to 10 percent for the West South Central region, including Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.

The fewest new-construction onsite systems were built in the Mountain and Pacific regions, comprising the western third of the U.S. by area. In the states of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska and Hawaii, only 8 percent of new houses utilized septic systems, according to the survey.

TAKEAWAYS

In some ways, the results are the opposite of what you might expect. In the densely populated Northeast, it’s reasonable to expect a more developed public sewer system and less land to develop. However, when you take into account the rural expanses found in states like Vermont and a desire by people to move out of congested cities, the demand for onsite systems is understandable.

And what about the Rockies and westward? A crowded California and the growing populations in Seattle and Portland in the Northwest explain the high number of houses using public sewers. But then you look at Big Sky Country and wonder why onsite systems aren’t being utilized more. Perhaps so-called “smart growth’’ zoning policies — an attempt to cluster development nearer to bigger cities to discourage sprawl — might restrict homes using their own wastewater systems.

Then there is the growing cost of Big Pipe expansion and what impact that will have on the future of onsite systems. Cities, counties and states are strapped for cash today. Look at where we’re going with other infrastructure, such as roads, public buildings and parks and recreation facilities. The many potholes on your local roads should tell you there is little appetite for raising taxes to address even basic needs.

If money isn’t going toward road projects, it’s not likely to go toward expansion of sewer pipes, either. At the same time, the dream of many Americans is still to build a new house on a larger piece of property outside town. These trends bode well for installers. Folks aren’t going to give up on their dreams of home ownership, so they will turn to the onsite industry to provide for their wastewater needs. Installers are ready to answer the call, with new technologies that work in smaller spaces and produce cleaner effluent than ever before.

STILL A WAYS TO GO

Another article I saw recently was an indicator that the onsite industry, and wastewater treatment in general, still has much room for development. The Weirton Daily Times news story outlined the wastewater situation in rural West Virginia, where even today many thousands of homes still have no wastewater treatment, either a septic system or a public sewer.

“In a small coal camp community, the houses are too close together for traditional septic systems and the public utilities have not reached those areas. So sewage and wastewater collection has been in ditches that flow into streams. … The sewage is flowing right past houses on its way down the hill,” says Jenny Newland, who represents a nonprofit group dedicated to improving sanitation.

That account is not coming from a developing country where you’d expect substandard wastewater services. It’s right here in the United States. It’s sobering to realize there are parts of this country where sewage simply runs out of a pipe in the backyard and rolls downhill into a stream. We as a nation need to raise minimum standards of sanitation to protect our citizens. And the onsite industry is going to play a major role in the effort.