If you own a septic tank and live within the highlighted area below, you are likely eligible for up to 60% cost share in septic tank repair or replacement! Thanks to our partnership with Upstate Forever, we are implementing a plan to protect the source of our drinking water within the Three and Twenty Watershed (see this article to learn more about the watershed).
A large portion of the approximately 16,825 homes in the watershed do not have access to sanitary sewer and rely on septic tanks to treat domestic wastewater. It is estimated that an average of 20% of these septic systems are failing due to improper maintenance, age, or misuse, which means there are approximately 3,019 failing septic systems in the watershed.
Damaged or improperly maintained septic systems can be a significant source of bacteria to surface and groundwater resources. Improper connections, clogs, heavy use, or unmaintained systems can increase the chance that improperly treated wastewater will leak into surface and ground water, leading to potential health effects in drinking water. It is recommended to pump out a septic tank once every 5 years to prevent bacteria leakage from faulty systems.
This funding does not include routine septic tank pumping, but will cover pumping if it is done in conjunction with a septic repair/replacement. For any repair estimates exceeding $10,000 you will need to obtain 3 bids from certified SCDHEC contractors and complete and sign a short contract before the repair can be authorized. For more details, please reach out to tburns@arjwater.com or see the graphic below.
