DEVELOPING A GIS-BASED INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR ON-SITE WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITIES

Abstract

On-site wastewater treatment facilities (WWTFs) collect, treat, and dispose wastewater from dwellings that are not connected to municipal wastewater collection and treatment systems. They serve about 25% of the total population in the United States from an estimated 26 million homes, businesses, and recreational facilities nationwide. There is currently no adequate coordinated information management system for on-site WWTFs. Given the increasing concern about environmental contamination and its effect on public health, it is necessary to provide a more adequate management tool for on-site WWTFs information. This paper presents the development of an integrated, GIS-based, on-site wastewater information management system, which includes three components: (1) a mobile GIS for field data collection; (2) a World Wide Web (WWW) interface for electronic submission of individual WWTF information to a centralized GIS database in a state department of public health or state environmental protection agency; and (3) a GIS for the display and management of on-site WWTFs information, along with other spatial information such as land use, soil types, streams, and topography. It is anticipated that this GIS-based on-site wastewater information management system will provide environmental protection agencies and public health organizations with a spatial framework for managing on-site WWTFs and assessing the risks related to surface discharges.