States Use Grant Funding to Replace Aged Septic Systems & Educate Residence

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Grant funding for the repair or replacement of residential septic systems is available in the upper White River watershed of southwest Missouri. Through early October, the Ozarks Water Watch had replaced 75 systems in the area, funded by $1 million the not-for-profit organization received from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Table Rock Lake Water Quality and the Department of Conservation.

The program will pay 60 percent of the cost, with as much as 98 percent available for low-income homeowners. Originally, the maximum a homeowner could receive was $10,000 but that has been increased to $25,000, with half available as a grant and the rest as a no-interest loan. Repaid funds will go to a revolving loan fund for future replacements. Funds will be available through July 2015 or until they are exhausted.

Ohio

Funds are available until May 2014, or until they run out, for residents in five counties facing pollution issues that feed toxic algae bloom into Lake Erie. Residents of owner-occupied homes in Erie, Wyandot, Sandusky, Ottawa and Seneca counties can access funds to assist with replacing or repairing their onsite systems.

Property owners must meet income guidelines, and the projects will go out for bid to all contractors registered with the county’s health department. Funds will not cover installation of a new home’s sewer system, connecting a failing system to the public system or abandonment of drinking water wells, even if it is required by the local health department.

New York

Nitrogen polluting Long Island’s waters has long been a concern – rising levels have worried scientists and residents for three decades. To help raise awareness, the Long Island Clean Water Partnership has launched a $3 million, three-year advertising and education campaign about protecting Long Island’s waters.

What’s to blame? Experts point to aging sewage treatment plants, antiquated septic systems, storm runoff and fertilizer use. According to one study, between 1987 and 2005, nitrogen in the aquifer that supplies most of Long Island’s drinking water increased by as much as 200 percent. While those numbers are below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency limit for safety, some remain concerned about the effect of nitrogen on groundwater and surface water.

According to the EPA, nitrogen pollution is one of the most widespread environmental problems in the country, affecting 15,000 waterways, including 2.5 million acres of lakes and reservoirs, and 80,000 miles of rivers and streams.



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