Septic-tank numbers kept rising despite regulation because housing grew

Evidence

In the course of a generation, from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s, the case for septic-tank regulation became more elaborate and more compelling, and the critique clearly made a difference. The percentage of new homes with septic tanks fell sharply from the levels of the late 1940s and early 1950s: Instead of 40 or 45 percent, the figure in the 1980s was roughly 25 percent. But the problem did not go away. Because builders kept adding to the nation’s housing stock, the absolute number of septic tanks increased decade by decade despite the decline in the percentage of new homes with septic tanks. In 1970, nearly 17 million homes had septic tanks; in 1980, the tally was just shy of 21 million; and in 1990, the number rose to almost 25 million. Nearly a quarter of all homes still relied on backyard waste disposal. — Adam Rome, The Bulldozer in the Countryside, 434

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Fragmented local jurisdictions let developers evade strict septic regulation by building elsewhere — Adam Rome, The Bulldozer in the Countryside:…, 405; Septic-tank regulation was hard because the technology served growth and homeownership — Adam Rome, The Bulldozer in the Countryside:…, 441; Septic tanks enabled postwar suburban sprawl as much as highways did — Adam Rome, The Bulldozer in the Countryside:…, 371

Broader Connections

• Septic-tank regulation was hard because the technology served growth and homeownership #corroborates (0.82) — Adam Rome, The Bulldozer in the Countryside, 441
• Septic tanks enabled postwar suburban sprawl as much as highways did #expands (0.75) — Adam Rome, The Bulldozer in the Countryside, 371