Introduction

Misusing and overusing our water supplies is a sustainability issue that cannot be ignored. An understanding of the options available to move us toward a sustainable infrastructure can help builders, developers and homeowners implement green building practices that are efficient and effective, focusing on the reuse and recycling of water and wastewater.

Development is important because buildings use one-third of our nation’s total energy, two-thirds of our electricity, and one-eighth of our water. As consumers demand green options for their homes and the number of cost-effective ecological building options grow for builders, a number of smart growth strategies are being implemented. Cluster developments, which preserve natural habitats and create green space coupled with pedestrian-friendly design, can foster stronger, more environmentally friendly communities. This approach offers developers and builders lower infrastructure costs for roads and efficient water and wastewater system options through community-based systems. As the green movement continues to gain momentum in commercial and residential projects, going green is not simply getting more respect; it is rapidly becoming a business necessity as customers are demanding the benefits provided by green development.

The initial incremental investment in going green can reap significant long-term benefits and life-cycle costs savings in energy and water throughout the long term. The new National Green Building Standard will provide a common national benchmark for builders, remodelers and developers for new communities, and set the standard for future consumer expectations.

So, how do we meet human needs of food, water and housing without exhausting or overloading the key resources upon which our natural systems depend?

Wastewater Treatment and Water Conservation as Part of this Picture

The traditional centralized approach to water use and wastewater treatment involves extracting water for use, sending it to a central system for treatment, and then discharging the treated water into the river where it is carried downstream. The result is that the water treated and discharged to local rivers adds more pollutants to our already impaired waters and robs the underground aquifer of much needed replenishing. With a decentralized approach to wastewater treatment, it is possible to provide a sustainable water use model for residential development. We can extract groundwater, consume it, treat the wastewater onsite, and return it close to its point of origin in order to recharge the aquifer. Onsite wastewater treatment also enables water reuse possibilities as irrigation — thus creating a sustainable system. New technology in wastewater treatment is leading to better development practices. Where as traditional onsite wastewater systems, including single septic tanks, often require extensive land for soil to treat wastewater, new wastewater technology is less land intensive and provides better long-term treatment.

Onsite wastewater solutions, available on a small community scale, make developing land affordable with the open space amenities people are seeking. A community wastewater system produces an economy of scale in infrastructure costs that reduces the per-lot cost of wastewater system and can be incorporated into the development to provide valuable open space for natural habitat.

The benefit for builders/developers is that when land becomes available for development, they do not have to wait for a sewer extension or connection to move ahead. For the community, a decentralized approach to wastewater enables smart growth approaches to development and sensible land use decisions. Even in rural areas, creating communities that have a nucleus of space and life in close proximity to clustered commercial services is a more cost-effective, psychologically appealing and eco-friendly approach.

Evolving decentralized natural system technologies are emerging as a clear choice for developers looking to go green including constructed wetlands. These systems provide many environmental and energy savings benefits that make then unique from other wastewater treatment systems. Wetland treatment systems employ vegetation and natural processes as part of the treatment, while providing a public amenity and a natural habitat for developments and their residents. The “engineered” aspect of this technology is the application of enhancements that introduce process control to the operation of the wetland. Wetland treatment systems use natural biological processes to break down the organics in human waste through bacterial action. The process is enhanced when sufficient air (oxygen) is provided to the bacteria. The application of engineering advancements such as Forced Bed Aeration to constructed wetlands allows for reduced footprint, less materials going into the construction and, as mentioned, a degree of process control that the operator can use to increase treatment efficiency. Constructed wetland systems also enable water reuse for irrigation.

The stigma of the old methods using septic systems that ultimately “fail” is removed by the ability to install permanent “green” wastewater treatment infrastructure that can be maintained and replaced in perpetuity. It also allows for better infrastructure management to be applied to the community served by the wastewater system. Maintaining and managing one treatment system with professional operators in a 100-unit development is much more desirable than having 100 individual septic systems maintained (or not maintained) by homeowners.

Jackson Meadow: An Award-Winning Community System in Action

A classic example of this type of development is Jackson Meadow, a residential development in the City of Marine on St. Croix, Minn. Here, town leaders and residents had to decide how to deal with requests from numerous developers wanting to build large-lot communities that they believe would diminish the “community” nature of the area. The concept of an open-space cluster development provided a people-friendly model that was intricately linked to the existing town center. It also solved the rural sprawl of large lot development forced by the individual onsite wastewater technology. The result was the approval of a cluster 64-lot development covering 250 acres. Seventy-five percent of the development remains open space.

The next challenge for this new community was to incorporate and manage an effective wastewater treatment program for this new neighborhood. The capacity of the city’s existing sewer system was limited and sewer service was not available for Jackson Meadow. The smaller lot sizes (resulting from the open space preservation) were not suitable for individual on-site sewage treatment systems. A number of alternatives were explored and the decision was made to construct two engineered wetland systems designed by North American Wetland Engineering of Forest Lake, Minn. The first system was constructed in 1998 to serve the north half of the development. The second wetland was constructed in 2002 to serve the south half of the development. Each wetland system was integrated into the community open space.

The Jackson Meadow development has won numerous awards for its architecture, planning, and environmental protection. Since 1998, Jackson Meadow and other open-space developments have created a new paradigm in land use, resulting in more than 40 similar developments throughout the Twin Cities area alone. It has also become a model for similar “livable” communities nationwide.

Afton, Minnesota

Pratt Homes, a developer and custom homebuilder based in White Bear Lake, Minn., is creating a sustainable housing project in the ecologically minded community of Afton, Minn. In contrast to the current large lot development in the area that is consuming land at enormous rates and to the neighboring city of Woodbury, which represents high-density suburban subdivisions, Pratt Homes set out to create a cluster development of smaller lots that preserves open space and maintains the rural character of the Afton community. With plans to preserve forested areas, wetlands and pastureland and incorporating hiking trails and other amenities into the design, Pratt Homes is dedicated to creating a truly sustainable community. As part of this commitment, the developer plans to use a decentralized approach to treating wastewater by using constructed wetlands, which will fit into the natural open space and allow a treatment process that is friendly to the environment.

Conclusion

Communities now have new “sensible land use” options for development. The way communities look at their options for sensible land use management and the alternatives that are available to them for wastewater treatment and water conservation are two important pieces to the sustainability puzzle. Meeting the environmental needs of communities, reducing the burden on already overloaded surface water receiving environments, and recycling treated wastewater for beneficial purposes are all part of the long-term solution. Environmental officials can play a major role as they consider and revise zoning codes to allow the use of the new “green” technology to solve their communities’ desire for innovative, eco-friendly and creative ways to develop. Whether it is preserving natural open space, fostering community cohesion by reducing dependence on the automobile, or improving the energy efficiency and resource use, green development takes advantage of green infrastructure to enable an integrated approach to development that better serves the customer, the developer, society at large and the environment.