Health Impact Assessment (2014-2016) of Proposed Code Changes Regarding Individual Sewerage Systems in Suffolk County, New York

Abstract

The U.S. EPA conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) of proposed sanitary code changes regarding individual sewerage systems (ISS) in Suffolk County, New York. ISS, including onsite sewage disposal systems (OSDS; i.e., cesspools) and septic tank-leaching pool systems (“conventional” onsite wastewater treatment systems or C-OWTS) can contribute nutrients, such as nitrogen, to ground and surface waters. The Suffolk County Government was considering changes to the County Sanitary Code for single-family residential ISS as one of several efforts to address the growing environmental issues related to nitrogen pollution impacting local waters.

The goal of the HIA was to help inform the County’s decision regarding the proposed sanitary code changes by evaluating the potential for the proposed changes to impact individual and community health. Based on input from stakeholders, including community members, scientific experts, and decision-makers, the HIA Project Team identified pathways through which the proposed code changes could potentially impact health. Five pathways were prioritized for inclusion in the HIA analysis: individual sewerage system performance and failure; water quality; community and household economics; vector control; and resiliency to natural disaster.

This HIA provided evidence-based recommendations for the County to consider in its decision-making process and bring together stakeholders and decision-makers at the local, state, regional, and federal levels to promote health, equity, and sustainability.

Impact/Purpose

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) of proposed sanitary code changes regarding individual sewerage systems (ISS) in Suffolk County, New York. The goal of the HIA was to help inform the County’s decision regarding the proposed changes to the sanitary code by evaluating the potential for the proposed changes to impact individual and community health. The HIA provided evidence-based recommendations for the County to consider in its decision-making process.

Citation

U.S. EPA. Health Impact Assessment (2014-2016) of Proposed Code Changes Regarding Individual Sewerage Systems in Suffolk County, New York. U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-21/186F, 2021.

Date	Description
01- Dec 2014	HIA kickoff meeting with Suffolk Co officials.
02- Mar 2015	HIA Community outreach meeting is held.
03- Aug 2016	Second HIA Community outreach meeting is held.
04- Sep 2015	EPA establishes a HIA project team to develop the assessment.
05- Jul 2017	A draft HIA Report was transmitted to stakeholders and technical advisory committee for review and comment. Following this review an external peer review of the draft assessment was performed.
06- Dec 2018	EPA hosted a meeting with stakeholders to discuss the findings of the peer review.
07- Jul 2018	EPA addressed the comments and finalized the main report and supporting documents.
08- Sep 2021	EPA released the final report, summary report and Science in Action fact sheet.

This document has been reviewed in accordance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency policy and approved for publication. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.

• Health Impact Assessment (2014-2016) of Proposed Code Changes Regarding Individual Sewerage Systems in Suffolk County, New York (EPA/600/R-21/186F) (PDF)  (416  pp, 26.6 MB, about PDF)
• Health Impact Assessment (2014-2016) of Proposed Code Changes Regarding Individual Sewerage Systems in Suffolk County, New York (Summary Report) (EPA/600/R-21/186S) (PDF)  (67  pp, 2.1 MB, about PDF)
• EPA Science in ACTION Fact Sheet - Suffolk County, NY (PDF)  (2  pp, 372.1 KB, about PDF)