I recently read an article from the Tampa Bay, FL area concerning the construction of a new waste-water treatment plant in Dade City, FL a nearby suburb. Many citizens expressed their frustration over the issue as the proposed site of the plant would be in near proximity to their home. This would impact their property value and residents are also concerned that the plant's effluent could ultimately end up back in the ground-water.
Now as I learned this past spring after touring the waste-water treatment plant in Fargo, treated waste-water is quite clean. Plants normally discharge treated waste-water into a body of water such as the Red River and the treated waste-water is actually cleaner and more pure than the water in the river itself. It is understandable though that there is concern of treated waste-water mixing in with ground-water as many may not have a background on the water-water treatment process.
The ethical issue involved here is if the county is properly planning this project. Some are concerned that the county has worked on plans for this project without first informing residents of their ideas. Are they selecting an appropriate site for the plant to be built? There's no question that the plant will improve the overall quality of life and the environment of the community. I do believe it may not be the best idea to locate it so near a residential area that already exists because of the effect on people's property values as well as a NIMBY-lism, or not in my back yard, attitude of people living there. Whether or not it's ethical to construct the plant there is up to some speculation however I do believe that residents should be given fair notice and warning that there are plans in the works. At this point the county is unsure whether or not to move forward with the facility. I would think the best course of action is to propose alternative locations for the plant to be built and use feedback from the community to choose the option that best suits everyone.
Good article. I liked how you gave your point of view and voiced your opinions on the matter. When it comes to waste water treatment plants I would have to imagine one of the primary issues with locals not wanting it near there homes would be the smell. So one ethical decision that should be made is understanding the average wind direction in Dade City. The location of the plant should be positioned so that it would not affect the air quality in that location. Good argument though.
ReplyDeleteI admit that before reading your post, I thought waste-water from plants are for sure some how toxic even if they have been treated. I think the county just need to inform the residents and give them a draft idea of how the new plants will affect their lives and get the feed backs from them.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting article. Before I read this I thought that waste water from a treatment plant was toxic. I liked how you gave your point of view and made your argument.
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