Septic replacement loan available for Otter Tail County owners | News

Otter Tail County (OTC) is constantly looking for ways to improve resources and add to the lives of the people who live and visit here. OTC Land and Resources is working hard to protect the county’s natural resources. One way to protect waterways is to replace non-compliant underground wastewater treatment systems that are polluting groundwater.

OTC is a rural county and property owners with private sewer systems are facing financial challenges. Aware of these challenges, OTC Land and Resources sought funding through government grants to help property owners in need of financial assistance replace non-compliant sewer systems.

The interest-free replacement loan program is available to property owners in OTC. The county acts as a lender, as the cost of the system is based on the property owner’s property tax, which is paid off interest-free over ten years.

Otter Tail County also received a $ 15,000 grant from the Clean Water Fund that can be used to replace eligible underground wastewater treatment systems, however the grant has been allocated for 2021.

The need and use of grant and loan funds by local residents are indicators of the need to replace or modernize rural sewer systems with financial support. The challenges faced by rural communities make increased investment in this program critical.

Land and Resources Director Chris LeClair recently attended meetings with US Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith. As a board member of the National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association (NOWAR), LeClair met with the staff of each senator to ask for their support for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decentralized wastewater grant program and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) decentralized water systems subsidy program.

The US EPA program provides $ 250 million annually over five years, and the USDA grant program provides $ 20 million annually. Both sources of funding, if approved, can be used by low- and middle-income homeowners in Otter Tail County to obtain grants to replace non-compliant sewage treatment plants.

“On behalf of the residents of Otter Tail County,” LeClair said, “I asked both US Senators to support these initiatives to provide financial aid to the residents of Otter Tail County. We will continue to work at the state and national levels to identify and find solutions to these challenges for our rural residents. ”For more information or ways to apply for the programs, please contact Chris LeClair at cleclair @ co. ottertail.mn.us or 218-998-8105.

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