Sea-level rise threat to home septic systems

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – University of Rhode Island researchers say state and federal officials should rethink regulations for the installation and management of home septic systems, due to warming temperatures and rising sea levels they say will reduce their effectiveness.

A study by doctoral student Jennifer Cooper, professor Jose Amador and research associate George Loomis found that a 1-foot increase in the height of the water table due to sea-level rise and a 5-degree-centigrade increase in air temperature would reduce a septic system’s ability to filter out phosphorous and nitrogen before it reaches groundwater and nominally affect bacteria and carbon removal, according to ecoRI News.

The researchers said public officials should begin thinking about how to upgrade existing systems in at-risk areas and modify requirements for the design and installation of new systems. •

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