Septic-system funding to grow

STAFF REPORT

WARREN — The federal- stimulus program that is paying 75 percent of the replacement cost of septic systems for 14 Trumbull County property owners is about to get a little larger.

Julie Green, grants coordinator for the county’s planning commission, said she will learn next week how much more money the county will receive from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and Ohio Department of Health to replace additional septic systems.

Some additional money is now available because some Ohio counties have been unable to meet the requirements of the program, and their funds are being made available to counties such as Trumbull that have succeeded in meeting the requirements.

“It was a lot of work, but it was worth it to see the faces of the people who received the help,” Green said. “It’s a big expense,” she said of replacing a septic system — around $20,000 in most cases.

Fourteen property owners qualified for the program by meeting income guidelines and having a septic system declared failed by the county health department.

Those property owners will repay 25 percent of the cost over time through their property taxes. Trumbull County commissioners are fronting the $75,000 local share of the $250,000 program.

Green said she and the Trumbull County Health Department already have a list of additional people qualified to participate in the program.