Under the Hurricane Helene emergency designation, the State Water Infrastructure Authority in North Carolina will award up to $22.5 million for septic repairs and replacement or sewer connection, according to a news release from the Department of Environmental Quality. Although property owners with septic systems damaged by Hurricane Helene have priority, other property owners also may apply for financial assistance to repair or replace a failing septic system.
Four nonprofit organizations have received funding and are ready to work with property owners. The four organizations are MountainTrue, Clean Energy Fund of the Carolinas, Western Piedmont Council of Governments, and Water Well Trust.
Indigenous Services Canada funds septic upgrades in Kanesatake
Indigenous Services Canada will provide funding to upgrade all of the residential septic systems in Kanesatake, Quebec, The Eastern Door reported. Many of the village’s estimated 450 septic systems are outdated and neglected.
An initial $3.2 million was added to the fund to cover the first year of the five-year program. The Mohawk Council of Kanesatake will oversee the program. The council will use part of the funding to purchase a truck and hire two septic workers.
Trinity County evaluating possible LAMP to manage, permit septic systems
The Trinity County (California) Board of Supervisors in July gathered public feedback regarding septic system permits, Redheaded Blackbelt reported. County property owners, real estate agents, developers, surveyors, septic system designers, contractors, lenders, and other interested parties were encouraged to fill out the survey. Supervisors created the survey to evaluate whether to develop a Local Agency Management Program to assist with the management and permitting of septic systems.
Kerr County proposes change to require permits for all new onsite systems
Kerr County, Texas, scheduled a public hearing for July 13 to gather feedback on a proposed change to the county’s septic regulations, Hill Country Community Journal reported. Under the proposal, all newly constructed septic systems will require a permit, regardless of the lot size where the system will be installed. Currently, property owners building single-family homes on more than 10 acres are exempt from obtaining septic permits. The proposed change would apply to new septic systems only and does not affect existing septic systems.
Ohio Water Pollution Control Loan Fund provides funds to repair septic systems
The Columbiana County Health District is distributing a $200,000 grant to county homeowners with failing septic systems, multiple news outlets reported. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s Water Pollution Control Loan Fund provided the funding. Depending on household income, the grants will cover 50%, 85% or 100% of the cost to repair or replace a septic system or connect to a public sewer system. To be eligible for financial assistance, applicants must own and live in the home and meet income requirements.
Residents of Pitt County eligible for funds to repair failing systems
Property owners in Pitt County, North Carolina, will receive a small share of $244 million in state money earmarked for water and sewer systems, WITN reported. The Clean Water State Revolving Fund Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems Pilot Program will provide Pitt County with a $250,000 loan for property owners who need to repair or replace failing septic systems.
New program provides funds for system repair in Charleston area
Mount Pleasant Waterworks and the Charleston Waterkeeper in South Carolina have launched a septic repair financial assistance program for low-income homeowners, multiple media outlets reported. The program provides funding to repair or replace failing septic systems in the Charleston-North Charleston area. The Coastal Community Foundation’s Healthy Harbor Grant Fund is providing the funding. More information and applications can be found at the Mount Pleasant Waterworks website.
Jefferson County receives grant to replace failing systems near priority water bodies
Properties located near priority water bodies in New York may be eligible for financial assistance for septic system upgrades, WWNYTV reported. Jefferson County received a $550,000 grant through the state’s Septic System Replacement Fund program. The funds will help small business owners and shoreline homeowners replace failing septic systems. Priority water bodies include Chaumont Bay, Guffin Bay, the St. Lawrence River, and other priority lakes and creeks.
The Septic System Replacement Fund program will reimburse property owners up to 50% of the cost, with a maximum of $10,000.
More funds provided to upgrade septic systems in Seneca County
The Seneca County (New York) Board of Supervisors is offering grants of up to $10,000 for property owners to repair, replace or upgrade their septic systems in environmentally sensitive areas, Finger Lakes Times reported. Eligible properties are located around Cayuga and Seneca lakes and the Cayuga-Seneca Canal. The board added $300,000 in state funding to its septic system replacement fund to cover the upgrades. Property owners will be reimbursed up to 50% of the cost to upgrade the septic system, with a maximum award of $10,000.
Grants cover ATU installation in Lewisboro to combat phosphorus pollution
In an effort to combat phosphorus pollution in four local lakes, officials in Lewisboro, New York, will create a town-managed septic district and replace conventional septic systems with advanced treatment systems, multiple media outlets reported. The town previously planned to connect 300 homes to sewer, but officials pivoted to a town-managed septic district when the sewer project costs increased to an estimated $40 million.
The new septic district will encompass nearly 600 properties located around lakes Waccabuc, Oscaleta, Rippowam and Truesdale. Homeowners in the septic district will have an advanced treatment unit installed, because an ATU removes more phosphorus than a conventional septic system does. Installation costs will be covered primarily through watershed grants available through the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. Local and state funding also will be used.
At a community meeting, town supervisor Tony Gonçalves told residents that a septic district offers several benefits: “The homeowner annual fee is lower with septic than sewer. That’s a major point. It’s less disruptive. We’re not tearing up all the roads. We’re not building a new sewer plant.”
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