Statement of Methodology Used to Analyze the Problem
The policy brief takes a qualitative and quantitative method to examine the Alabama rural wastewater crisis. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH), peer-reviewed research on the subject matter of the study, and nonprofit evaluations of the Black Belt region of the state, base the discussion mostly on government reports.
The sources offer statistics about access to sanitation and the prevalence of diseases, as well as demographic inequalities. Moreover, recent news media and policy briefs were also read to analyze the current governmental interventions and community based response.
A triangulated approach is the method that enables the holistic view of the issue in its full extent, the connection of technical infrastructure breakdown to socioeconomic and racial disparities. It is
aimed to combine the available research and policy information to determine the efficiency of
the existing activities and the constraints of their capabilities and to emphasize the evidence-based approaches to the solution of wastewater problems in rural Alabama (EPA, 2023; Randall,
2023).
Additional Sources
Alabama Department of Public Health. (2023, July 5). Update for Lowndes County residents – Barriers to wastewater disposal will be assessed. https://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/blog/2023/07/nr-05b.html Alabama Gazette. (2025, February 1). State will spend over $2 billion on Medicaid and corrections in Gov. Ivey’s general fund budget proposal. https://www.alabamagazette.com/story/2025/02/01/news/state-will-spend-over-2-billionon-medicaid-and-corrections-in-gov-iveys-general-fund-budget-proposal/5459.html Alabama State Budget Office. (2025). State of Alabama budget report 2025–2026. https://budget.alabama.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/State-of-Alabama-BudgetReport-2026-FULL-BOOK-3.19.25.pdf Bakchan, A., & White, K. D. (2024). Sustainable Development in Rural Underserved Communities through Improved Responsible Management of Decentralized Wastewater Infrastructure: A Focus on the Alabama Black Belt. Environmental Science & Technology, 58(42), 18671–18685. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c01170 Blackbelt Unincorporated Wastewater Program. (n.d.). Our project – Black Belt Wastewater Program. https://www.bbuwp.org Connelly, L. (2024). Clay soil, rampant poverty: Tackling wastewater in Alabama’s “Black Belt.” Asce.org. https://www.asce.org/publications-and-news/civil-engineeringsource/article/2024/11/12/clay-soil-rampant-poverty-tackling-wastewater-in-alabamasblack-belt Hunter, B., Flowers, C. C., Mejia, R., & Deshusses, M. A. (2025). Impact of sanitation system types on residential and environmental presence of human waste and parasites in 14 Alabama. Infectious Diseases of Poverty, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40249-025- 01334-4 Jenkins, M. (2024, May 14). Wastewater Challenges in Rural Alabama - YOWA. YOWA. https://www.yankeeonsite.org/wastewater-challenges-in-rural-alabama/ Randall, K. (2023, March 14). Policy Brief: Health implications of ARPA funding dedicated to on-site wastewater systems in the Black Belt area of Alabama – Lister Hill Center for Health Policy. Uab.edu. https://sites.uab.edu/listerhillcenter/2023/03/14/policy-briefhealth-implications-of-arpa-funding-dedicated-to-on-site-wastewater-systems-in-theblack-belt-area-of-alabama/ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2023). Complaint under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: Alabama Department of Public Health. https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2023-03/03R-23- R4%20Complaint_Redacted.pdf USDA. (n.d.). Technical assistance, education, and training for sustainable wastewater management in the Rural Black Belt of Alabama. https://ruralwastewater.southalabama.edu/current-projects/usda-sustainable-wastewatermanagement Wilson, T. (2023). The Role of Centralized Wastewater Treatment in the Rural Alabama Black Belt. https://etd.auburn.edu/bitstream/handle/10415/8705/Thesis_Final.pdf?sequence=4