Project Title and Description
Wastewater Management in the Alabama Black Belt
The Black Belt region of Alabama was originally named for its dark, fertile topsoil, which gave rise to a prosperous antebellum economy. Now, the region is characterized by high poverty, low educational attainment, lack of economic development, and a general lack of wastewater infrastructure. Due to clay soil conditions in much of the area, traditional onsite wastewater systems (septic tanks and drain fields) cannot adequately infiltrate wastewater into the ground. Field surveys of hundreds of rural residencies in three counties performed in 2005 and 2017 have documented that upwards of 50% of rural residents have raw sewage on the ground surface. Traditional onsite wastewater treatment systems are largely unaffordable to most residents due to system size and/or complexity and impermeable soil conditions. In this project, a team of students will work with the EPA, the Alabama Department of Public Health and other stakeholders to develop a wastewater needs assessment and propose a solution for rural wastewater management and sanitation in the region.
Faculty Advisor
Dr. Mira Olson
Please contact the faculty advisor at: mso28@drexel.edu.
Team Make-up by Discipline
ENVE