Editor’s note: This last installment of the Leader’s series on Jefferson County’s sewer problems details several ways residents with failing septic systems can get help.
Part 8 (Published May 16)
When Sandy and Bruce Revelle, who live in rural Hillsboro, started smelling sewage in their yard several years ago, they knew their outdated septic system was failing.
But the $40,000 price tag they were quoted to replace the system put a solution out of their price range.
"I love living here, but with a failing septic system, the house wasn’t even worth that," Sandy Revelle said. "I’m from Los Angeles. I never even knew what a septic system was until I moved here."
She learned quickly as the smell worsened and then sewage bubbled up in the yard.
The Revelles started getting the septic system pumped, at a cost of about $200 each time.
"After a while I was getting it done so often they were giving me a discount," she said.
They started water conservation measures in order to ease the burden on the septic system.
"We were really nursing the system," she said. "We didn’t even put toilet paper in there."
Then they learned about the Jefferson County’s "Private Sanitary Sewer Replacement Program," part of the federal Community Development Block Grant program administered by the Jefferson County Economic Development Corporation (EDC).
Rosie Buchanan, assistant executive director of EDC, oversees the program, which provides a five-year forgivable loan to help low- to moderate-income Jefferson county residents replace failing septic systems.
"That’s a fancy way to say it’s a grant," Buchanan said. Homeowners don’t have to repay the loan if they stay in their home for five years.
Since Jefferson County’s program started in 2007, there have been 300 new septic systems installed replacing bad septic systems.
With estimates that Jefferson County has more than 30,000 failing septic systems, Buchanan realizes the program is scratching the surface of a deep problem.
"You see cinder block tanks or an old oil tank. A lot of them have a straight pipe with no drain or leach field. It’s unbelievable," Buchanan said. "We are putting a Band-Aid on a broken leg. But there are 300 that are not failing anymore.
The best solution would be public central sewers for everyone. But for many county residents, that is not a reachable goal.
"Public sewer lines are utopia," Buchanan said. "For so many areas of our county, public sewers are eons away. And for some people, geography prohibits sewers from ever reaching their homes."
The sewer replacement grant program offers an option for homeowners, like the Revelles, with failing septic systems. To apply, the homeowner must have been cited by the county or a municipality for a failing sewer system.
A family of four can make up to $55,350 annually and still qualify for the program. The grant is available to owner-occupied, single-family homes with existing, failing septic systems.
"The homes cannot be anywhere close to an existing sewer line," Buchanan said.
The EDC also has financial assistance available for low- to moderate-income residents who live close to sewer lines but who can’t afford tap-on fees. The program is a one-time grant distribution of up to $1,000 to pay for new connection of public sewer service to a home. So far, 15 people have applied for and been approved for the money.
Buchanan said since the "Private Sanitary Sewer Replacement Program" started, all eligible applicants have been funded.
"We receive approximately $1.2 million a year," Buchanan said. "We don’t have a limit on the number of applicants we can process. If we run short on funding, we can wait until additional funding comes in. If it’s not this year, it will be next year."
"At this moment, there is no waiting list," she said.
Buchanan said the EDC staff helps homeowners navigate the grant process.
Project for Hillsboro-area family nears completion
Revelle said they have been working on the project for about a year and a half and should have their new septic system in place within a month.
"We had to prove we had $20,000 in equity. We had to prove our income," Revelle said.
The family needed a variance from the county to install the new system. The EDC staff helped them apply.
"I was so ignorant to all of this," she said. "They have enlightened us."
For qualifying homeowners, the loan program includes a deed of trust against the home for five years. One-fifth of the loan is forgiven each year. If the homeowner sells the home within the five years, he or she must repay any loan amount that hasn’t been forgiven.
At the end of five years, the lien is removed.
"We cover all engineering costs, all soil tests required, the actual installation of a complete new onsite system, and five years of maintenance," Buchanan said.
During those five years, homeowners also receive education about how to properly maintain a septic system.
"A lot of systems were failing because of a lack of education by homeowners," Buchanan said. "They had been told, ‘If it doesn’t smell, don’t touch it.’ But that isn’t right. Systems are failing because of a lack of maintenance."
The low bidder on the Revelles’ project was AA Quick Plumbing and Sewer Service of Dittmer with a bid of $19,900.
"Without this program, I have no idea what we would have done," Revelle said. "Yes, I’ve jumped through a lot of hoops, but it’s so well worth it. I can’t even express the gratitude I have for this program.
"Rosie is the most wonderful person. The program is fabulous. I have been encouraging my neighbors to check it out. Sure, I have a lien on my house, but if you are not moving why worry about it?"
Buchanan said people often are afraid to call and ask for help.
"They are afraid their home will be condemned. They can call here and ask questions," Buchanan said. "Usually, people find us as a last resort. We have a lot of frantic applicants. But you don’t have to have sewage surfacing in the yard. You can call before it gets to that point."
Find information online at www.jeffcountymo.org; click on services and then entitlements. Or call Buchanan at 636-797-5336.
Rock Creek Sewer offers help, too
Don Daniel, Rock Creek Sewer District administrator and board member for Missouri Association of Sewer Districts, agreed with Buchanan that some Jefferson County residents face difficulties connecting to sewers, even when they live within public sewer districts.
He said the topography of the county makes installing sewer lines nearly impossible in some areas. In addition, he said, in some areas of the Rock Creek Sewer District – which serves about 10,000 customers in Imperial, Kimmswick and parts of unincorporated Arnold – homes are far from existing sewer lines.
As a result, there are failing septic tanks within the district.
"The county tags these homes and comes to us for help with finding out where nearest the sewer line is," Daniel said.
Residents who don’t meet the income guidelines for the EDC grant program have other options in Rock Creek Sewer District.
"We’ve had a couple of different groups that the county has cited for failing septics, and they’ve gotten together as a whole, raised money, attained an engineer, attained easements, brought the plans to sewer district board of directors for approval. From that we send them on to DNR for approval. Once all that’s gathered, they can hire a contractor, let us know when they start, and we inspect it as they go along."
Once the sewer treatment complex is complete, the sewer district will take it over and maintain it.
Daniel said the district works with homeowners to keep costs low.
The district gives existing homes a discount on tap-on fees. It charges $500, rather than the $2,500 tap-on fee for new construction.
In addition, if a homeowner has to pay more than $7,000 for sewer lines or other improvements in order to connect to the district’s sewer lines, the district waives the tap-on fee.
"We want to give those folks a break," Daniel said.
Help for others with failing septics
Property owners who have failing septic systems and don’t qualify for loans through the EDC might have another option.
The Missouri Association of Councils of Government offers the On-Site Wastewater Loan Program to help people repair or replace their failing septic systems.
The program is funded through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
The loans, between $3,000 and $15,000, are to repair or replace private septic systems that serve single-family homes or multi-family homes with up to four units.
To participate, homeowners must provide evidence of financial need, including a letter that they have been turned down for conventional financing from a bank. However, they must have enough income and a high-enough credit score to demonstrate they can repay the loan.
Loans are made for up to 10 years and are paid monthly. Interest rates are capped at 5 percent.
Once approved, homeowners must get three bids from approved contractors for the work needed and usually must go with the low bid. They also must attend training sessions on how to maintain their new systems.
The loans cannot be used by homeowners to connect to a sewer system or to pay for a septic system for a new home.
Information on the program can be found at the Jefferson County Health Department’s website, www.jeffcohealth.org.
– Peggy Scott, Kim Robertson and Steve Taylor
