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reserve capacity. With the discharge of treated sewage effluent into the Rush the .only option currently on the table, downstream riparian landowners worry that decisions by the Town will transfer some of the burdens of pollution to them in the form of degraded stream quality, health risks, and reduced property values.
Some progressive small communities around the country have opted for disposing of sewage in innovative ways that do not require discharge to streams and rivers. Common areas or country fields can be irrigated, green houses watered, gardens planted, or wetland parks created. None require stream discharge and none create unpleasant odors or health risks.
According to the Town’s consultant, the initial capital costs of the proposed sewage treatment and disposal solution have reached $4 million, even before DEQ has finalized pollution standards for the Permit and before the plant has been designed. This does not include ongoing operation and maintenance, or the costs of possible expansion or upgrades of the plant if the Town grows beyond the current 20-year plan or if (more likely when) DEQ requires more stringent control of pollution in the future. It is going to be expensive for Town residents to hook up to the new sewage disposal system, and most, if not all, will be required to do so. Sewer hookup charges for small communities can be in the neighborhood of $20,000 per household.
How will the Rush be impacted by the discharge of treated sewage effluent into the river? Will coliform bacteria from the effluent endanger recreational users of the Rush? Will lower levels of dissolved oxygen endanger aquatic life? Will added nutrients increase the already high levels of destructive algae growth in our streams, and add to the difficulties of the Chesapeake? What impact will a host of other toxic pollutants have on stream health and aquatic life? What will be the effects of altered flow regimes and elevated water temperatures on Rush ecosystems?
DEQ periodically tests water quality in the Rush. Jn some of those tests, the Rush was found to be impaired by the presence of fecal coliform bacteria in a section of the river from about two miles above Washington to just . below the Town. There is no data demonstrating that failing septic systems in the Town are contaminating the river. The most likely source of this periodic contamination is from non-point sources (farm animals) above the Town. There is hope that those sources of pollution will be identified and contained through Best Management Practices of our land. Any failing septic systems in the Town also need to
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