| 113th Year, 35th Issue | Thursday, April 11, 2002 | Sparta, North Carolina |
Officials are heralding the success thus far of the Ashe-Alleghany Straight Pipe Elimination Project, while encouraging eligible homeowners to take advantage of the opportunity to correct illegal wastewater discharges with available government funds.
Gerold Elliott, project director with the Ashe County Health Department, said the program is being extended for a third year, through June 2003.
The project, a co-operative effort of the Appalachian District Health Department and the Region D Council of Governments, administers state and federal funds, through both grants and low-interest loans, to install or repair septic systems and thus correct wastewater discharges into waterways. Funding is provided by the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, the Appalachian Regional Commission and Community Development Block Grants and is coordinated through the Division of Community Assistance.
Low-income households qualify for grants to pay for repairs. Others are eligible for loans at 3 percent interest to correct the illegal discharges. Elliott said Monday that so far the project has paid for 188 installation or repair jobs. In addition, about 100 homeowners have chosen to pay for corrections themselves, avoiding the paperwork required for the grant or loan.
He expects another 100 corrections to be made before the project is over. The effort will therefore have affected about 400 systems which had some wastewater discharge getting into rivers and steams when the project began.
"That will no longer happen," said Elliott. "It's a very successful project." While the year's extension is not accompanied by any additional money, Elliott said funds still remain available. About 93 percent of clients qualify for the grants.
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