An evaluation of the data and associated reporting system for malfunctioning septic systems in eastern North Carolina

Malfunctioning onsite wastewater treatment and disposal systems in eastern North Carolina are a growing concern for environmental public health and environmental protection and related public and environmental health professionals. Using data provided by the North Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (NC DENR), malfunctioning system summaries from participating counties were evaluated. Analysis of data related to the type of malfunctioning systems and the type of codes used to identify the cause of a malfunctioning system were the main focus for this thesis.;While the NC DENR data was able to demonstrate some descriptive trends for this sampling frame, such as the most common malfunctioning system being a gravity trench system and deducing that age was the leading cause of failures among the sampled counties, it was difficult for quantitative statistical trends to be observed. One reason for this was lack of participation in submitting reports by all eastern North Carolina counties in submitting reports. As a result, an alternative data sheet was developed and proposed to better assist in tracking malfunctioning septic systems and encourage participation among the counties.