Water Quality Planning Background
Role of Local Governments
Local governments typically conduct planning to meet the sewage disposal needs of the community. Ohio EPA has established guidelines for planning that are useful in the context of Section 208 and the State Water Quality Management Plan. Local governments that follow these guidelines are more likely to have the results of their planning work incorporated into the State 208 plan prepared by Ohio EPA. The Areawide Planning Agencies have established their own operating protocols, committees and processes to involve local governments in shaping their 208 plans.
Planning should account for long range sewer and treatment needs by looking at projections for community growth and development. Comprehensive land use planning, where available, is an excellent tool that can help those assessing the sewage disposal needs of a community or group of communities. In highly populated areas regional solutions involving several communities have proven to be a cost-effective means to solve sewage disposal problems in urban and suburban areas.
New development patterns have recently emerged near some population centers that is neither urban or suburban in character. The term exurbs has been used to describe a mix of land use and population densities located on the fringes of major cities. More information on this can be found through an a special program at the Ohio State University for the analysis of rural-urban change (http://aede.ag.ohio-state.edu/programs/exurbs/def.htm). Meeting the sewage disposal needs in exurb communities poses new challenges that could be cooperatively addressed through local facility planning and updated 208 plans.
In conclusion, sewage disposal needs can be met in a variety of ways dependent upon the situation, but in all cases local and State regulations must be followed to protect public health and safety, to ensure sanitary conditions and to avoid contamination of surface and ground waters.