PORT TOWNSEND — Jefferson County Public Health has launched a cost-sharing program to help homeowners repair or replace their on-site sewage systems.
The agency will focus on areas in Discovery Bay and along the Hood Canal near commercial shellfish operations to help improve water quality.
“We’d really like to help anybody who could potentially be impacting the waters that have commercial shellfish,” said Denese Schauer, an environmental health specialist at the county health department.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency’s National Estuary Program is funding about $300,000 through the state Department of Health, Schauer said.
The program will run until the funds are spent or through June 2021.
“As far as I know, we are the first in the Puget Sound basin,” Schauer said.
Homeowners can qualify for up to an 80 percent cost share based on several factors, including geographic location, public health and financial criteria.
“We know this is expensive, and if you’re in a risk area — certainly being on the waterfront is a risk area — we’d like to see a proper system that treats the wastewater on those properties,” Schauer said.
A list of application materials can be found on the public health cost-share page, tinyurl.com/PDN-OnSiteSewage. More information also is available on the Jefferson County Public Health Facebook page or by calling 360-985-9444.
Schauer said applicants must be the property owners.
“We have some homeowners who have applied for and received permits for their system, but they never installed it because they didn’t have the money,” she said.
Cost-sharing funds can’t exceed $20,000 for any one property, according to an agency press release.
There are nearly 14,000 permitted septic systems and “a good number of unauthorized or pre-permit systems” in the county, the release said.
Some include what Schauer described as a traditional trench.
“Some of those, after years of use, are starting to show their wear and tear,” she said.
On-site systems weren’t required as they are today until the 1970s, Schauer said.
The county will require a homeowner to provide a quote from a certified inspector that estimates the repairs needed.
Schauer said some signs of needed repair might include the system frequently backing up, or if homeowners are pumping more often than they think they should.
“Maybe it’s fixable, or maybe it should be replaced,” she said.
Those who live upland also should consider applying due to potential effects on surface water, she said.
“If you are sitting in a watershed that drains right into the Hood Canal, we would be interested,” Schauer said.
Household income can’t exceed U.S. Health and Human Services poverty guidelines for 2019.
“Maybe if this takes off and people take advantage of it, and I hope they do, we can get more money for more counties in the Puget Sound region and get some repair for folks,” Schauer said.
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Jefferson County Managing Editor Brian McLean can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 6, or at bmclean@peninsuladailynews.com.
