Clear constructed lakes in the Ozarks of southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas attract many thousands of tourists for all manner of recreation.

The lakes form the backbone of the tourism economy and support a high quality of life for residents. Helping to protect those lakes and their watersheds is the mission of H2Ozarks, a nonprofit organization founded in 2002.

Its focus is on the Upper White River Basin watershed, which includes Table Rock Lake, Lake Taneycomo, Bull Shoals Lake, and Beaver Lake — some 144,000 acres in total — and the streams that feed them.  

A key component of the organization’s work is the repair and replacement of failing septic systems, which can pollute the lakes and groundwater. The group recently completed a $2.5 million septic remediation grant program with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and has launched a similar program for the Beaver Reservoir Watershed and Buffalo River Watershed in Arkansas. Carin Love, chief operating officer, talked with Pumper about the Septic Remediation Programs, the group’s background and its other water quality initiatives.

Pumper: Briefly, what is the background of H2Ozarks?

Love: The organization was founded in 2002 by local business leaders who had a vision to protect the four lakes in the Upper White River Watershed, with the goal to make them the cleanest manmade lakes in North America. A year ago we rebranded to H2Ozarks. We promote water quality in the Ozarks area through bi-state collaboration in public outreach, public policy, education, research and action projects.

Pumper: Apart from septic remediation, what does your organization do to protect water quality?

Love: In Arkansas our StreamSmart assessment guide helps lakeside residents identify management techniques to reduce or prevent pollution. Our StreamSmart program also coordinates volunteer citizen scientists who monitor water quality at 14 sites throughout the Beaver Lake Watershed, filling in important data gaps that help water resource managers understand changes in water quality. We have an annual shoreline cleanup in Missouri that’s been going on for 22 years. It started out with only 20 volunteers and has grown to more than 500. We also help develop watershed management plans in both states, and are currently completing a modeling project for a watershed management plan we are developing in Arkansas.

Pumper: Where does funding for the Arkansas programs come from?

Love: Funding for the septic remediation projects is provided through a grant funded by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Division, Water Development Fund and Clean Water State Revolving Fund. Funding for the watershed management plan in the Upper White River Basin is provided by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Division Nonpoint Source Pollution Program through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Pumper: Why is septic system remediation an important initiative for H2Ozarks?

Love:Appropriately placed and properly functioning septic systems are effective in treating household wastewater, but many systems are old and may be failing. Those failing systems can cause bacteria, nutrients and other pollutants to be transported to surface water and into groundwater. Especially in southwestern Missouri, the majority of residents’ drinking water comes from groundwater. In northwestern Arkansas, Beaver Lake provides drinking water to much of the population. Many of the systems we’re remediating have untreated sewage surfacing on the ground. Most often it’s due to collapsed septic tanks.

Pumper: What is the history of the Septic Remediation Programs?

Love: We did a Septic Remediation Program in Missouri 2011-15, during which we replaced or repaired 309 failing septic systems. The Arkansas program we’re doing now is patterned after the Missouri program. The program provides much-needed assistance for low-income homeowners. Often, needed repairs are ignored because they are extremely expensive.

Pumper: How extensive is the program in Arkansas?

Love: The first-phase funding will cover approximately 100 septic system replacements. The Arkansas Natural Resource Division is very positive about the program. They have already opened funding for septic remediation in the Buffalo River Watershed and have asked us to administer that as well. The Illinois River Watershed Partnership is doing a similar project in their neck of the woods. So between our two organizations and these three projects, we hope to gain enough traction so that remediation spreads statewide.

Pumper: How strong is public acceptance for this program?

Love: It’s very strong. The program not only benefits the environment. It also impacts the quality of life for homeowners. One homeowner was overjoyed because their children now could play in the backyard because septic waste was no longer puddling there. Another homeowner composed and posted on her social media a song called “Septic Angel,” in honor of our program manager, Shelly Smith, who worked through the process with her. The program is life-changing. It promotes human health, it promotes environmental quality and it promotes the economic vitality of our region.

Pumper: What types of septic systems are being remediated?

Love: During our Missouri project we saw many rusted metal tanks that were leaking and/or collapsed. In the Upper White River Basin watershed, failing conventional systems have been replaced with new conventional systems. We have replaced, or are replacing, a few straight-pipe or cesspool systems with conventional systems. 

Pumper: What types of systems are being installed as replacements?

Love: During our Missouri remediation project, 38% of the replacements were conventional systems, 37% were advanced drip systems, 13% were low-pressure pipe systems, 1% were aerobic treatment units and 12% were partial replacements involving tanks or lateral lines.

Pumper: What are the required setbacks from water bodies?

Love: Current setbacks are 100 feet from surface waters. Other setbacks include 100 feet from any source of domestic water supply, 100 feet from the high-water mark of streams and lakes, 300 feet from springs used as public water supplies; 50 feet from a pond on a property, and 100 feet from a pond on someone else’s property. All new systems must meet permit requirements for design and construction. Setbacks must be met, and the system must be designed for the soil type, the size of the home and the use of the home.

Pumper: Are there any requirements for maintenance of the replacement systems?

Love: Unlike advanced systems, which require a routine maintenance agreement, there generally are no requirements to ensure the functioning of traditional systems at any point after the initial construction. This is unfortunate, because systems can and do fail, and those failures can go unaddressed for long periods of time. In 2009, the Stone County Health Department in Missouri passed an ordinance requiring a property transfer certificate verifying the adequacy of a property’s existing septic system at the time of a property’s transfer or sale. Areas in both Missouri and Arkansas have found value in point-of-sale inspections or similar requirements.

Pumper: Are most of the remediated systems on lakefront properties?

Love: So far during our Arkansas remediation project, we have not replaced any systems on waterfront properties. Many have been near Beaver Lake or the White River. During the Missouri project, 80% of the remediated systems were 1,000 feet or less from a stream, river, lake or sinkhole, and we remediated systems as close as 50 feet from such waters.

Pumper: How much do typical system remediations cost?

Love: The average cost for remediation has been about $10,000, although some projects have been as little as $5,000 and some as much as $18,000.

Pumper: Are there enough installers in the area to do these jobs without long delays?

Love: The biggest holdup in the Upper White River Basin watershed is that there are not enough designers to meet the demand in our project area. Because of the demand, there are further delays with the county health units and installation companies. There are few installers in the Buffalo River region, so it remains to be seen if we will see the same delays as the project moves forward.

Pumper: How much financial aid do homeowners receive for system remediation?

Love: Homeowners can get up to 90% of their septic system paid for by grants, which is money they don’t have to pay back. What remains is provided as a zero-interest loan that we administer. No credit check is required. Some of the people we serve wouldn’t be able to get funding through conventional methods.

Pumper: How are contractors selected to do the work?

Love: The homeowners select the contractors, who must be Arkansas-licensed septic system installers. We only provide the funding upon successful completion.

Pumper: Who decides which systems get remediated?

Love: The systems must be determined to be failing by an Arkansas Department of Health Environmental Health Specialist. Then they are approved for remediation through our program on a first-come, first-serve basis. Financial need determines how much grant money versus zero-interest loan the homeowner qualifies for. The greater the need, the more grant money they receive.

Pumper: How do you make the homeowners aware of the program and the funding?

Love: Our program managers send mailings out to rural communities. We attend Chamber of Commerce events. We created rack cards to leave with the Department of Health. We communicate with installers. And we promote it through social media and by word of mouth.

Pumper: Do you have septic-related programs other than the remediation projects?

Love: H2Ozarks provided $50 pumpout rebates to homeowners around Table Rock Lake in Missouri, thanks to a grant from the Table Rock Lake Community Foundation. Rebates were available to homeowners who met eligibility requirements and who had their septic tank pumped out by a licensed hauler between Nov. 1, 2022 and April 30, 2023. The program gave us a platform to tap someone on the shoulder and say, “Hey, let’s talk about how important septic system maintenance is, not just in the short term but long term as well.” We want to increase our outreach and education and make water quality a household concern in a positive way.”