The primarily Black residents of Lowndes County, Ala., have long suffered from substandard sanitation, sewage backup and broken plumbing. Today, more than 40% of the county lacks access to clean sanitation, Time magazine notes (https://bit.ly/3X1ZNhP): “The dire circumstances have led to health problems including hookworm, a disease once thought eradicated from the [United States].”
The International Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Foundation (IWSH) — the philanthropic arm of the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) created in 2016 — has been working in Lowndes County for the past few years with LIXIL Americas, FujiClean USA and the Black Belt Unincorporated Wastewater Program (BBUWP) as part of a larger initiative to improve homes’ water efficiency and sanitation system functions.
“Without access to central sewer lines or working septic systems, many residents of the Black Belt have resorted to ‘straight-piping’ sewage waste directly to the ground, meaning the waste flows directly into some yards, potentially exposing children to health risks right outside their homes,” explains AL.com (https://bit.ly/3p1WHOr). “This practice creates unsafe conditions, but many low-income residents cannot afford a better solution.”
BBUWP was created to help low-income families who could not afford a wastewater disposal system. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Utilities Service Water and Environmental Programs provide grants to rural communities to obtain the technical assistance and financing necessary to develop drinking water and waste disposal systems.
The USDA granted federal funding to BBUWP so at least 100 homes in the unincorporated areas of Lowndes County could receive an on-site wastewater disposal system — homes with substandard on-site systems that do not work properly. The USDA modified that number to 175 to 200 homes.
“It is the first project of its kind where a homeowner pays a one-time down payment of either $500 or $1,000, depending on the soil type, and $20 per month for maintenance of the system,” the BBUWP website notes.
In October 2022, IWSH used its Household Plumbing Survey, a tool that assesses the efficacy of indoor plumbing systems, to pilot a program with four Lowndes County high school students.
“We know a lot of homes that need support; people deserve access to adequate sanitation and functioning plumbing systems with water-efficient technologies,” notes Mike Webster, leader of project management for LIXIL Americas. “The information IWSH gathered allowed BBUWP, IWSH and LIXIL to better understand which repairs were needed and which materials we needed to provide.”
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Agriculture Rural Development have prioritized this work in their Closing America’s Wastewater Access Gap Community Initiative. More recently, the U.S. Department of Justice has directed the Alabama Department of Public Health to conduct various actions to address public health in Lowndes County.
Improving residents’ quality of life
Time notes that Lowndes County is “emblematic of the sanitation problems plaguing an untold number of Americans nationwide.” An estimated 2 million Americans lack proper sanitation and access to clean water.
“Sewage treatment issues in this part of Alabama have long been blamed on a combination of factors, including low population density, high poverty rates and a type of chalky clay soil that makes most typical septic tank systems ineffective,” the AL.com article notes.
IWSH returned to the Alabama county in May this year to continue its residential plumbing survey project. This time, local high school students would learn how to conduct the IWSH Household Plumbing Survey 2.0 to assess the quality and function of local home plumbing systems. (The survey is tweaked based on documented feedback from students regarding the previous study.)
The 11 students came from two high schools:
- Central High School students: DeMarcus McCord, Devin Lewis, Jaden Middleton, Jarvarius Sturdivant, Ayala Johnson and Benjamin White
- Calhoun High School students: Tre’veon Jacolby Lee, Haigler Lee Johnson III, Tiya Smith, Shakerrie Walker and Ja’Kameron C. Fleeton
Randy Lorge, IAPMO’s director of workforce training and development and training lead for this project, created a PowerPoint presentation for the students, which identified the aspects of the Household Plumbing Survey, how to correctly test fixtures, how to mark the information in the survey, and how to take photos that would be of use for plumbers conducting future repairs.
The training was about four hours long and included short, interactive quizzes to test students’ learning levels.
Apprentices from Plumbers & Steamfitters Local Union 91 constructed product demonstration boards that included faucets, pipe and other fixtures so students could get hands-on experience and learn about home plumbing systems.
BBUWP selected 12 homes to be surveyed by the students. Three groups were deployed to conduct surveys:
- LIXIL’s Webster led five high school students with support from Robyn Fischer, senior director of IWSH North America, and Perman Hardy, BBUWP board president.
- Lorge led six high school students with support from Sean Kearney, IWSH managing director, and Shartra Rush from BBUWP.
- Fischer took an afternoon group of three senior high school students, trained in October 2022, to complete four home surveys, while new students went with Webster and Lorge to continue learning and training in the field.
The students surveyed 11 of the 12 homes in one day. Afterward, Lorge discussed the survey with them: what worked, what needed improvements, how students could improve their accuracy in gathering data and their thoughts on the training.
“The training IWSH led for the local high school students will equip teenagers with the education and tools to conduct these surveys and perform a much-needed service in their community,” BBUWP Executive Director Sherry Bradley notes. “We see these kids learning the correct words about plumbing systems and understanding what’s not working within homes, and why. The students are now an integral part of improving people’s quality of life in Lowndes County.”
Fischer adds: “It’s incredible to watch the students learn about the importance of water efficiency, understand how inadequate septic systems pose threats to people’s health, and see them develop an interest in plumbing.”
Plumbers get the job done
Based on the IWSH Household Plumbing Surveys from October 2022, Jed Scheuermann, IWSH’s program director and installation lead on the project, and LIXIL’s Webster originally identified six primary homes and five secondary homes, analyzed the repairs needed in each home surveyed and created job sheets to guide the volunteer plumbers.
The United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry of the United States and Canada (UA) Locals 52, 91, 760 and South Central Pipe Trades — who are licensed in Alabama — upgraded fittings, fixtures and appliances in selected homes using donated parts and materials from Ferguson and water-efficient products furnished by LIXIL Americas.
The volunteer plumbers — Steve Wright, UA Local 760; Pete Wingard, UA Local 52; Mike Bellury, UA Local 52; Danny Walker, South Central Pipe Trades; and John Dillard, UA Local 91 — worked with Scheuermann to sort through materials and divide supplies into trucks to go to the homes for each day.
Scheuermann was in the field with the plumbers from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., assisting in home repairs. In four days, the team completed repairs on seven homes and a few fixtures and appliances in other homes.
The assistance from IWSH, LIXIL and Ferguson is a welcome relief to Lowndes County residents who have felt abandoned and unheard.
“IWSH’s survey provides the necessary information to guide home plumbing repairs, helping us to create a more sustainable wastewater program,” Bradley says.
And it’s not over; IWSH will input feedback from the May trip to create Household Plumbing Survey 3.0 and discuss the next steps for the Lowndes County project with its partners.
“IWSH will continue to work in this area to help improve household plumbing systems and advance septic needs,” Fischer notes. “By supporting community involvement and local leadership, along with the vital work spearheaded by BBUWP and other partners, we can help improve access to more sustainable sanitation solutions and address public health issues.”
