Water on Campus and Other Earlham Properties

There is, at present, no shortage of groundwater in the Midwest. However, there is significant concern about maintaining adequate, secure and safe aquifers throughout the Midwest. Earlham's goals are to reduce the volume of water used, reduce output of wastewater, contain stormwater runoff on campus to prevent damage to local streams, and eliminate pollution of downstream surface and groundwater.

Domestic Water

Use of domestic water at Earlham falls into two broad categories.

• domestic activities - flushing toilets, washing hands and dishes, showers, cooking, cleaning, drinking water, etc.
• other purposes - watering athletic fields, etc.

Domestic water is supplied to the College by Indiana-American Water Company, a wholly owned subsidy of American Water Works. Usage for academic year 2002-2003 was approximately 3.5 million cubic feet (26,181,819 gallons) at a cost of $76,000. It is important to note that sewage costs are based on domestic water use, and are not directly related to the actual sewage output. So any reduction in domestic water use will result in a savings on sewage treatment fees.

Water is regulated by the Wayne County Health Department, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The Current Situation

• The College is installing flow controls and low volume flush toilets on all new construction or renovation.
• Maintenance conducts annual visual inspections of residence house and residence hall plumbing fixtures. This is a step in the right direction, but is not adequate.
• A few years ago, the Grounds unit began planting drought-tolerant native plants which do not require watering.
• There is a large fraction of inefficient plumbing fixtures still in use in houses, halls and academic buildings.
• Athletic fields are irrigated with use of (expensive) domestic water, and significant human labor. One consequence is that fields are not watered at ideal times.

The Future

• Install flow control on all showers and on-off controls at showerheads.
• Provide continuing education so that students will be aware of the environmental impacts of excessive water use.
• Install low-volume flush toilets in place of standard toilets.
• Implement regular inspection and maintenance of plumbing, including a record of leaks discovered and repaired.
• Provide buried sprinkler systems for athletic field irrigation to reduce evaporative loss and human labor requirements.
• If feasible, install cisterns to collect storm runoff for athletic field irrigation.

Sanitary Sewage

Most domestic water eventually goes through sanitary sewers to the Richmond Sanitary District Treatment Plant on Test Road, south of campus. Earlham paid the district $47,000 for its services in fiscal year 2002-2003. The sanitary sewer cost is based completely on the amount of water used. So, actions which reduce domestic water use, as described above, will also reduce financial costs and environmental impacts of sanitary sewage. However, other actions, specific to wastewater, are also necessary.

The Current Situation

• Grey water (showers, sinks, etc) is mixed with dark water (toilets), yielding unnecessarily high sewage output.
• All sewage is sent to the Richmond Sanitary District treatment plant southeast of campus. No sewage is treated by any technology on campus.
• There is evidence that at least some stormwater runoff from campus is finding its way into the sanitary sewage system, unnecessarily increasing the volume of sewage treated by the Richmond treatment plant.

The Future

• Divert all stormwater from sanitary sewers and eventual introduction to the sanitary treatment plant.
• Minimize the number and types and concentration of contaminants in the wastewater stream. (Natural sciences, fine arts, housekeeping, house kitchens, food service and maintenance are primary sources of such contaminants.)
• Continually educate students, faculty and staff concerning environmental impacts of substances poured down the drain.
• If feasible, separate grey water (from showers, hand washing, dish washing, etc) from dark water (from toilets).
• Based upon results of installation and use of a single composting toilet, determine whether the College should make more extensive use of composting toilets.
• Determine feasibility of on-site treatment of some sewage using modern natural treatment system such as The Living Machine, which has proven effective at a number of installations already.

Stormwater

Property owned by Earlham drains into nearby streams and ponds. Stormwater runoff results from precipitation concentrating quickly and moving downstream at destructively high volumes and velocities, while also carrying various surface contaminants and eroded soil. The local geology indicates 8 to 20 feet of glacial soils on top of relatively impermeable mud, silt, and limestone strata. Grass, farmland and pastures on slopes erode into watersheds of streams and of biology research ponds. For the protection and preservation of downstream ecosystems, Earlham must reduce the volume of campus runoff resulting from storm events and enhance the gradual movement of stormwaters from the surface into the groundwater.

The Current Situation

• There is evidence that some stormwater from the Earlham campus travels into the sanitary sewer system, thus to the Richmond Sanitary District Treatment Plant on Test Road, in violation of State regulations. In the 1980's, the City of Richmond carried out an extensive project to separate the sanitary sewer system from the stormwater drainage system. This separation results in a much lower volume of sewage requiring treatment, and in a significant reduction of situations in which raw sewage must be released into local streams because of failure of the sewage treatment system. The College is working with the City to identify and resolve any violations.
• Most stormwater runoff from Earlham's main and back campuses moves rapidly into tributaries of Clear Creek and/or the Middle Fork of the Whitewater River. Some of the runoff travels to the biology research ponds on back campus. Both the streams and the ponds have been adversely affected by contaminants in the runoff in their watersheds.
• The College is following State requirements for the construction of appropriate stormwater detention ponds for new construction of buildings, parking lots and roadways.

The Future

• Detain stormwater falling on impermeable surfaces such as roofs, sidewalks, roadways and parking lots. This will involve construction of detention ponds and/or cisterns, along with collection systems.
• Determine appropriate means of dealing with all detained stormwater runoff.
  • Some may be able to be released, without further intervention, in a controlled manner to groundwater and/or surface water.
  • It may be feasible to use some, in conjunction with a buried irrigation system, to provide for automatic athletic field irrigation.
  • Some will need treatment to reduce contamination from animal manure, herbicides, fertilizers, pesticides, and volatile organic compounds from vehicles before being allowed to move on.
• Construct new parking lots and roadways with permeable pavement technology, enabling stormwater to percolate, with natural filtration, directly into groundwater. Any repairs to existing pavements should make use of the same technology, where feasible.
• Analyze actual parking and roadway access needs, and possibly reduce the overall area of pavement on campus. In accomplishing this, the College should consider the relative appropriateness of various locations.
• Alter chemical treatment of ground surfaces to reduce both the relative risk posed by introduced chemicals and the amount of contaminants available for migration via stormwater.
• Establish appropriate ground cover landscaping on sloped land to reduce runoff and erosion, and to encourage percolation and/or evaporation of stormwater
• Stop leasing property for contemporary industrial-type farming. Either lease to farmers using methods with less environmental impact, or return the land to forest or other non-polluting use.