REGIONAL CHALLENGES OF PLANNING WASTEWATER INFRASTRUCTURE AND EFFLUENT DISPOSAL FOR SOUTHERN OUTER BANKS, NORTH CAROLINA

摘要

The Currituck County Outer Banks faces many wastewater management challenges. Thepopulation increases dramatically during the summer leading to increased demand and load.Existing wastewater facilities do not meet current North Carolina regulations and do not haveexcess capacity for projected growth. Expansion of treatment capacity is difficult as the statemandatednon-discharge effluent disposal methods are land intensive and available land isminimal. Furthermore, several of the wastewater treatment systems on the Outer Banks havereached the end of their useful service life. Wastewater has historically been managed byindividual subdivisions. A Regional Comprehensive Wastewater Master Plan was commissionedin 2010 to address treatment considerations and effluent disposal. Membrane bioreactortechnology was considered the only feasible treatment solution given the high cost of land andthe promulgation of new rules governing wastewater management in coastal areas. This paperdescribe the wastewater master planning challenges in the Southern Outer Banks due to the highcost of land, public-private regionalization issues, influent flow and load concerns, limitedavailable land, and stringent regulations for non-discharge systems.