This is a form of land use development that minimizes impervious surface, retains native vegetation, and avoids entirely the need for expensive storm drain collection and treatment systems, letting nature handle the water management chores. REP America supports the idea of carefully designed, site-specific, effluent trading experiments. These are analogous to atmospheric sulfur dioxide emissions trading, and would be a way of harnessing market forces to decrease water pollution at the source. These pollutants can be transferred from water to air to land, and accumulate or bioconcentrate in animals and plants. For example, mercury is a PBT that is present in warm water fish all over the nation.
Likely sources are coal-fired power plants and incinerators.
REP America strongly supports national water efficiency standards. Water efficiency and water quality are joined at the hip. We do not need more water waste that will increase the costs for water and wastewater infrastructure. Government bodies at all levels should lead water efficiency efforts by requiring maximum water efficiency at all their facilities, including military bases. It may be discharged untreated at points all across the globe.