The Wake County Department of Environmental Services, in cooperation with the County’s Housing Affordability and Community Revitalization division, is initiating a pilot program to provide financial assistance to low-income households to make well and septic repairs.
With the budget of $200,000 the two-year pilot program will support lower income, elderly, and disabled residents who often cannot afford needed repairs to their well or septic system. With this new, dedicated well and septic repair fund, grant applicants will have access to additional funding to fix or test their well and/or septic system.
“The health of residents is at risk if their well water quality changes or their septic system is failing. We cannot stand by and let those repairs go undone just because they cannot afford them,” said Wake County Chair Commissioner Sig Hutchinson. “Every family deserves clean, reliable drinking water and sanitary sewage disposal, regardless of their income. This new pilot program will help make sure that’s a reality for those most in need in our community.”
Often residents aren’t even aware their well or septic system is having problems until it’s too late. That’s because, many times, issues cannot be detected without laboratory testing or professional inspections. Then, even when the problem is made known to the homeowner, the high cost of repairs to these systems leaves many residents unable to make the fixes. Contaminated water can lead to health issues. A septic system failure can cause untreated sewage to come to the surface, threatening the health of residents and contaminating the environment.
“Environmental Services frequently sees malfunctioning septic systems left unresolved due to cost, even after we notify the homeowner of their legal responsibility to fix them,” said Evan Kane, Groundwater Manager. “This program will allow us to help the most vulnerable residents and will help us evaluate just how big the need is so we can develop future programs.”
To apply for the assistance, you should have a well or septic problem that is a health or safety hazard and have an income that does not exceed 50% of Wake County’s median income (currently $53,500 for a family of four). You may apply by calling 919-856-7400 or using our well complaint webform or septic complaint webform.
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