Dear Editor,
In a recent VTDigger article, journalist Carly Berlin reported that several small communities were resisting efforts to build wastewater and water infrastructure. In some cases, the towns were returning funds provided for this purpose. The reason for this resistance is that, with this improvement in infrastructure, the town is obligated to allow a higher development density in designated downtown and village center areas served by the new infrastructure.
Look at your current main street. Are there already deserted buildings, unusable and beyond economic rehabilitation because the septic system has failed?
In many places, especially our river valley towns, there may be no place to build another septic system, certainly not one for every individual failed system in town. As time goes on, more septic systems will inevitably fail, with no way to replace them. Wastewater treatment systems are the only way to address the loss of these properties.
There’s a second concern that’s often expressed, sometimes not expressed but operating. Do we really want more dense development, especially when we may not be able to control who lives here?
The truth is, towns never could really control who lived there. Some of the new developments will include affordable housing, aimed at serving those with working incomes. Most will be market rate. In either case, they’ll be occupied by residents who pay taxes, serve in volunteer fire departments and support local business and employment.
Look at the history of your town. A hundred years ago, maybe only a generation ago, the population density was probably higher than it is now. Perhaps there was enough density to support a general store. Those derelict properties were occupied, and, with larger, multi-generational families living together, there were more people in each building.
That density, and infrastructure to support it, are key components of a sustainable community.
The decision to transition to water and wastewater infrastructure is a life-and-death decision for many of our villages and towns. What’s your decision?Â
Bruce Lierman
Bennington
Read the story on VTDigger here: Bruce Lierman: Will your town die for lack of a sewer system?.