In many suburban and most rural areas of Pennsylvania, homeowners rely on individual private groundwater wells as their source of potable water.  Many of these same homeowners also use on-lot septic systems to manage their sanitary wastewater.  The degree to which on-lot septic systems impact the quality of drinking water supplies is a critical question for current and future land planning purposes because the answer to this question helps determine the type of sewage facilities that will be used as the state's population migrates from urban centers to suburban and rural regions of the state.

Mr. White's presentation will summarize the results of a comparison of water quality sampling conducted in potable wells at seven suburban subdivisions when they were first constructed several decades ago, with results of more recent sampling at those same subdivisions.  The results are both surprising and instructive for those involved in land development projects contemplating the use of land based disposal of sanitary wastewater. 

We hope to see you at the conference on March 8, 2009.  If you can't attend, and have an interest in the topic, feel free to contact Mr. White at our West Chester Pennsylvania office.