Optimal Siting of Regional Fecal Sludge Treatment Facilities: St. Elizabeth, Jamaica

Abstract

In the developing nation of Jamaica, 70% of the population depends upon on-site sanitation systems, which can provide an effective and low-cost option for rural wastewater treatment. However, there are serious environmental and human health effects associated with their mismanagement and deterioration. Historically, fecal sludge management has been addressed as a localized problem. Instead, we introduce a regional decision model of FS treatment options. The problem is formulated as a mixed-integer programming model, which selects the optimal combination of treatment, hauling, and pumping options and their locations based on a variety of social and economic constraints. The constraint method of optimization led to an optimal trade-off curve between the number of people negatively affected and the cost of a given management plan. A sensitivity analysis documents model sensitivity to capital cost variation among potential treatment sites.