Shellfish Protection Districts (SPD) Topics Library

SPD Library

Tools for Identifying, Validating, and Correcting Pollution Sources

Incentives

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Burley Lagoon, Filucy Bay, Rocky Bay SPDs / Pierce County PIC

The septic grant and loan program run through the county has been very effective in fixing failing OSSs. SWM manages funds from Ecology. The program is limited to system failures that are surfacing and not to failures that are only backing up in the residence. Pierce Community Connections administers the loans. Administration of loans is a long term problem. TPCHD currently has an incentive program, where property owners can get up to $400 in funding: $100 for the installation of risers, $100 for septic tank pumping, and $200 for an O&M inspection. The incentives are provided through several federal grants, one administered by the EPA and the others administered by DOH.

Henderson and Nisqually SPDs

Incentive and assistance programs include: riser rebates, waiving the program charge for low income senior and disabled citizens, low interest loans for system repairs, small grants to low-income owners to assist with the cost of inspections and maintenance, and owner inspector certification classes which have been very popular. The county built a septic demonstration park as a training tool to teach owners how to inspect their systems as part of the certification program. That certification is revoked if an owner fails to complete their inspections; the county has revoked 9% of certifications in the first five years.

Jefferson County CWD

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) payments are available.

Kitsap Public Health District

Technical assistance is offered to assist property owner/residents in preventing and correcting pollution sources. Kitsap Health has used targeted OSS pumping vouchers to assist property owners and to help determine OSS status. Postcards offering a $100 rebate were mailed to owners/residents of properties that had not inspected or pumped their OSS within the last three years. An informational letter described the project, and offered the rebate if the inspection was conducted during the wet weather season (between November and April) so that the system could be assessed during the time of year when groundwater and surface water intrusion can compromise OSS treatment. The rebate was issued when the postcard was returned to Kitsap Health with an inspection/pump receipt from a certified pumping contractor (a list was enclosed in the mailing). The return rate was approximately 25 percent in Kitsap's two MRAs: Burley Lagoon and Liberty Bay watersheds.

Oakland Bay CWD

Mason County offers four septic workshops each year, with discounts on OSS pumping for class participants. Oakland Bay used an incentive based approach with the ability to enforce. Incentives included a $200 riser rebate, which was the result of a survey that found that OSS were most commonly not maintained because they needed to be dug out. The barrier to routine operation and maintenance was as simple as having easy access to the OSS components.

Incentives have been more effective than enforcement. The balance between enforcement and incentives has been an issue for the SPD, but Mason County has implemeted a program that works for this area's citizens.

Sequim Bay Dungeness Watershed CWD

Environmental Health and Clallam Conservation District jointly run an incentive program (PDF) for OSS inspections, pumping, and risers.

Skagit County CWP / The CSI / PIC Program

OSS inspection and tank riser installation reimbursements are available. Low-interest loans for repair of failing OSSs are available. Riparian protection projects, including fencing, planting, and fish habitat structures, are available at no cost to the landowner through the Skagit County Natural Resources Stewardship Program. The Skagit CD also has cost-share programs for BMP implementation.

Technical assistance includes OSS inspection and repair, conservation farm planning, livestock exclusion fencing, riparian planting, heavy use protection areas, manure storage, and downspouts. These are primarily provided by the Skagit CD.

The CD sits on the CSI executive committee and typically provides monthly updates to the group regarding BMP implementation, technical assistance on BMPs (design and/or cost-share applications), voluntary assistance requests, and site visits, among other issues.