Alabama agrees to provide sewage-disposal systems to a county, in first-of-its-kind settlement agreement with feds

Sewage overflow in Lowndes County (Photo: Dennis Pillion, AL.com)

Do all Americans have a right to sanitation even if they cannot afford the systems needed to do the job? "The federal government now seems to be answering yes to that question, using a civil-rights investigation to press Alabama to solve long-standing sewage infrastructure problems in remote and lightly populated areas," reports Dennis Pillion of AL.com.

The Justice Department alleged that the Alabama Department of Public Health "engaged in a consistent pattern of inaction and/or neglect concerning the health risks associated with raw sewage" in Lowndes County, a rural, majority-Black county of about 10,000 people. Now Alabama "is the first state to reach an interim settlement agreement with federal authorities on environmental-justice grounds," agreeing to provide the county with adequate sewage treatment. The Environmental Protection Agency defines environmental justice as "the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies."

Lowndes County
(Wikipedia map)

Widespread poverty is one reason Lowndes County has been unable to resolve its sanitation challenges. The second obstacle is its very dense Black Belt soil, which "makes many septic systems inoperable," Pillions notes. "Addressing the wastewater needs of each residence in Lowndes County will likely require treatment systems of all different shapes, sizes and technologies [and many millions of dollars, but just how much is still a huge question. . . . Much of the cost will come from federal funds. The agreement stipulates that ADPH should seek funding from the American Rescue Plan Act and other federal grants to conduct its analysis and create an action plan to solve these sewage issues. ADPH will collaborate with the Centers for Disease Control and other federal agencies throughout the project."