Who Still Uses a Privy? Commission Wants to Know

August 4, 2014

The Accomack-Northampton Planning District Commission (A-NPDC) is asking Eastern Shore residents to provide information regarding the location of properties that lack indoor plumbing in Accomack and Northampton Counties. Properties that lack indoor plumbing do not have the capability to dispose of sewage waste inside the residence. These properties typically utilize an outdoor pit privy or outhouse, although some properties fail to have outdoor facilities as well.

While pit privies may be permitted by the Virginia Health Department if constructed and maintained properly, many do not meet the regulated standards and pose a significant public health risk and have extremely adverse impacts on the quality of adjacent water bodies and the environment.

The Eastern Shore is one of very few areas where this issue remains a significant problem in Virginia. To date, a comprehensive survey to identify properties lacking indoor plumbing has not been performed for the region. Historic estimates of the number of properties lacking indoor plumbing included over 1,300 in 1990, 782 in 1998, and nearly 150 most recently in 2002; however, none of these efforts covered the entire region. The A-NPDC is planning to perform a comprehensive survey of Accomack and Northampton Counties in September 2014 to be able to properly manage this problem in order to improve living conditions for Eastern Shore residents and to protect sensitive natural resources.

The A-NPDC requests that anyone with information on where these conditions exist contact Curt Smith, Director of Planning, at 787-2936 or [email protected]. For confidentiality purposes, the only information that will be recorded is the street address of a property.