Anne Arundel County is accepting applications for financial help toward converting homes on failing or threatened septic systems to public sewer.
Our wAAter, based on legislation by County Councilwoman Jessica Haire and run by the Department of Public Works, will help reduce the costs of converting as many as 200 homes per year over the next three decades, Chris Phipps, county public works director, said Tuesday during a news briefing.
“In densely located subdivisions near the water, even well-maintained septic systems can release harmful pollutants into the Bay,” Phipps wrote in announcing the program Tuesday.
The program is available to roughly 6,000 of the more than 40,000 properties in Anne Arundel County that use on-site septic systems to treat residential wastewater.
In dense subdivisions located close to the water, even properly operating septic systems can release up to eight times more pollutants into the Bay than the County’s water reclamation facilities.
When systems do not operate properly or are too close to private drinking water wells, contaminants from the wastewater may even reach drinking water.
The county has targeted several priority areas, where there is the greatest number of homes on septic or that are closest to nearby sewerage systems.
Residents can determine eligibility for the Our wAAter program by visiting the Septic-to-Sewer Connection page on ourwaater.com and entering their address.
For more information, visit ourwaater.com, email info@ourwaater.org or call 410-222-7500.
