Why is it a Problem?

Rural Alabama still struggles with acute wastewater crisis since a number of people do not have safe and functional sewage systems. The counties of Lowndes County and the Black Belt counties are estimated to have 70-80% of residences with malfunctioning septic systems or direct straight pipe flows of raw sewage into the environment (Blackbelt Unincorporated Wastewater Program [BBUWP], n.d.). These are the conditions that exist even after the latest interventions introduced by Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In 2023, after a federal investigation ADPH was willing to identify and serve households lacking sufficient wastewater systems under an Interim Resolution Agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (ADPH, 2023). Despite the intention to provide more people with access to sanitation with federal funding under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the process has been gradual, and the communities still face environmental pollution and health risks associated with exposure to raw sewage (EPA, 2023). C. Importance of the Problem The scarcity of proper wastewater infrastructure in the Black Belt region, Alabama in rural settings, is a severe threat to the social, environmental, and the general health of people. Malfunctioning or absent systems enable unprocessed sewage to enter soil and ground water exposing residents to pathogens that lead to diarrheal diseases, hookworm infestation, and other ailments (Randall, 2023). These effects are disproportionately affecting mostly blacks and lowincome neighborhoods, and the problem is environmental justice and racial equity. The U.S. Department of Justice and the EPA claim that the sanitation crisis in Lowndes County is an 5 expression of institutional injustices in the investment of infrastructure and protection of the population (EPA, 2023). Residents are exposed to expensive system repair and loss of property in terms of economic aspects and local governments with small tax bases to finance funds to improve the infrastructure. The ensuing cycle of poverty and deplorable hygiene defeats the community growth, retards the business investments, and creates perpetrated social and environmental inequalities in the rural counties of Alabama.