Septic System Problems on an Urban Fringe

Septic systems impact the land use plans, fiscal base, environment, and general public, whether they work or not. Septic systems in New Castle County, Del., were analyzed as a growth management issue. Control of subsidies is recommended as the basic solution. This paper addresses the way in which conventional land use and public policy decisions drive up the already high costs of waste treatment. Conventional cost-effectiveness logic applied to existing waste treatment management alternatives should not take the place of a consideration of the costs of ground-water pollution in determining future land use and waste treatment needs. The public should not sustain large spillover effects and the consequences of poor performance in exchange for the small benefit they receive when a few individuals use septic systems.