Environmental Reviews and Case Studies: Water and Sewer Infrastructure Challenges as a Barrier to Housing Development in the Marcellus Shale Region

Abstract

Building on prior research on the housing effects brought on by the natural gas industry in Pennsylvania which found that a lack of water and sewer infrastructure served as a significant barrier to developing new housing needed to alleviate the shortage and resulting high rents in affected communities, this article focuses on the connections between natural gas development, housing need, and provision of water and sewer infrastructure. Through case studies of two water and sewer providers in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, it was found that supplying infrastructure is complicated by the timing and the costs involved with the Chesapeake Bay cleanup, enforcement of the Clean Water Act, and other regulatory hurdles facing suppliers of water and sewer services. These added costs, and their resulting effects on needed housing development, serve as challenges both in areas served by older providers charged with maintaining aging facilities and newer providers who must balance capacity with cost. Both adequate and affordable housing and a healthy environment are vital needs, but at least in the short run, there is a tension between these two needs and their costs for to taxpayers, rate payers, service providers, and developers. Potential solutions for overcoming these challenges are discussed.