Septic Repair Program

Purpose

The focus of our Septic Repair program (also known as the Haywood County Wastewater Treatment program) is untreated wastewater, or fecal bacteria, entering a nearby waterway. When maintained, septic systems are efficient for proper treatment from toilets, washing machines, dishwashers, and showers. However, maintenance is easy to overlook and when issues do arise, high costs are associated with these systems.

This program is two-fold: septic repairs would eliminate untreated human waste sources and lead to immediate surface water quality improvements. Additionally, monetary assistance would be provided to those of low-income households and allows Haywood Waterways and partners to provide quick responses and instant results to assist citizens and protect the waters of Haywood County. Repairing septic systems are a sustainable and worthwhile endeavor, as they are able to last for more than 30 years. 

The NC Wastewater Discharge Elimination (WaDE) Program repaired systems for low income homeowners. However, WaDE was cut from the state budget in 2011. According to the Haywood County Environmental Health Department (EHD), there continues to be great need for repairs and financial assistance. Fortunately, grants from the Pigeon River Fund and DEQ 319 Program have allowed the Septic Repair program to continue locally since 2006. Providing funds locally enables a quicker turnaround for projects that will last more than 30 years. There are obvious environmental implications that are addressed through these repairs as well. Multiple grant opportunities with NC 205(j) and 319 programs have allowed us to evaluate stream bacteria levels throughout Haywood County. With this, microbial source tracking techniques were able to determine the source of the contamination, and they are of human-origin throughout the county.

Getting on the list for Septic Repairs:

• Contact Haywood County Environmental Health Department at (828) 452-6651. Depending on the cycle, funds will be readily available for shovel-ready projects and they will confirm this with us. Project partners would prioritize projects by proximity to stream and severity of failure.

• With available funds, homeowners will obtain three bids from different contractors. These contractors have already been identified and used for previous repairs. EHD staff would review the bids for accuracy and confirm that their cost estimate is reasonable. EHD will also take care of permitting after being on site and inspect final installations.

• After permit approval and the homeowner chooses a contractor to use, payment would be issued directly to the selected contractor by HWA. Using PRF dollars, HWA pays 75% of the cost, while the homeowners will pay the remaining 25%. The homeowner is informed of this payment schedule, and would be part of the negotiation process with the contractors before construction begins.