Dr. Thomas Shahady Emphasizes the Importance of Sanitation as the Missing Link for Cleaner Water Systems
Clean water can be considered the foundational expectation of health and life in the United States, yet Dr. Thomas D. Shahady believes that the national conversation around water quality continues to focus almost exclusively on what flows from the tap. As a Professor of Environmental Science at the University of Lynchburg and Environmental Consultant, Dr. Shahady’s career lies in a framework that he argues is the most fragile part of the system: sanitation and disposal.
In his view, water quality cannot be meaningfully addressed without examining what happens when water is used. He explains, “People don’t have a comprehensive understanding or a foundational relationship with water. They think about drinking it, but they may not think nearly enough about what happens after.”
According to Dr. Shahady, water moves through a continuous cycle across urban, suburban, and rural America, which is often overlooked by residents. “Municipal systems deliver potable water to homes, households use it, and wastewater is then routed back through sewer systems to treatment plants before being discharged into rivers and watersheds,” he explains. “Those same waterways often supply drinking water to downstream communities.”
Dr. Shahady argues that while many US treatment plants are highly effective at removing organic waste, there’s still a persistent gap in effective solutions that filter out the complex chemical and microplastic pollutants, which are now common in wastewater. “Modern sanitation systems have unintentionally reinforced an out-of-sight, out-of-mind mentality. You use the water, you let it go into the drains, and you assume someone else will take care of it,” he explains.
That disconnect, Dr. Shahady argues, becomes even more consequential in households that rely on private septic systems rather than municipal sewer lines. More than one in five households in the US operate individual septic tanks, but in his view, they do so with little oversight or public awareness of the risks. Based on his observation and research on water health in Costa Rica, Dr. Shahady warns that poorly maintained septic systems can fail to filter properly and will release contaminants into the surrounding soil and groundwater, which can have cascading implications. “The contamination doesn’t stop at your property line. It moves outward into the environment and, ultimately, into shared water sources,” he says.
Dr. Shahady emphasizes that improving water quality begins with everyday sanitation behavior inside the home. He routinely urges students and families to reconsider what they flush or pour down drains. “People flush various things down the toilet,” he says. “And I always ask, does that belong there?”
In his assessment, non-flushable wipes, plastics, and household waste place unnecessary strain on wastewater treatment systems and increase downstream pollution, which could remain embedded indefinitely. Dr. Shahady extends this responsibility to plastic consumption more broadly, arguing that widespread nonchalance around single-use plastics has allowed rivers to become long-term reservoirs for microplastic pollution. A recent report suggests that there has been a consistent rise in global plastic waste generation, from 205 million tons in 2021 to 225 million tons in 2025.
To illustrate water’s cyclical nature, Dr. Shahady often points to residential lawn care as a powerful and relatable example. He explains that fertilizers applied to lawns frequently wash into storm drains during rain events, carrying phosphorus and nitrogen into nearby rivers. Those nutrients can contribute to algal blooms and water degradation before eventually cycling back into drinking water systems downstream. “People don’t connect fertilizing their lawn in April with the water they’re drinking later. But it’s the same system,” he explains.
Dr. Shahady also draws attention to emerging public health concerns linked to environmental water quality. He points to studies that have reported associations between long-term nitrate exposure and increased cancer risk through the formation of carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds. “So many young women are getting very aggressive forms of breast cancer, and my mind immediately goes to those environmental triggers. The signals are there, and they’re very concerning. Even the medications we take eventually can end up in our water,” he says.
Ultimately, Dr. Shahady argues that responsibility for water quality must be shared across households, communities, and public institutions. He acknowledges the regulatory and financial limitations faced by wastewater treatment facilities, noting that many may be forced to manage pollution through nutrient budgeting rather than proper elimination. In his view, that reality makes upstream personal responsibility even more critical. “Every time you flush something that doesn’t belong there, you are contributing to the system,” he explains. “If people understood that, the entire conversation about infrastructure and environmental responsibility would change.”
Water, Dr. Thomas Shahady emphasizes, is never truly discarded. It is continuously reused and reshaped. Viewing water through its full life cycle reframes sanitation as a civic obligation necessary for comprehensively clean systems. “Little things matter,” he says. “Over time, collectively, they determine the health of our water and therefore the health of our communities.”
Media Contact
Name: Thomas Shahady
Email: shahady@lynchburg.edu
