Some Walker County homeowners could receive financial assistance to repair failing septic systems through a second round of grant funding aimed at improving public health and water quality in the Chattanooga Creek watershed.
According to WRCB Local 3 News in Chattanooga, the Limestone Valley Resource Conservation and Development Council has secured additional funding to help property owners address failing septic systems.
A total of $268,000 is available for eligible property owners in portions of Rossville, Flintstone, High Point and Lookout Mountain.
Residents can use Limestone Valley’s online eligibility map to determine whether their property falls within the grant area. Those who qualify can then contact the project manager and begin the process of obtaining a permit through the health department and entering into a contract with Limestone Valley.
After receiving a contractor’s estimate and completing the required paperwork, repairs can move forward. Once the work is finished and inspected by the health department, the program will reimburse the homeowner for 60% of the repair cost.
Limestone Valley Resource Conservation and Development Council Executive Director Stephen Bontekoe told WRCB Local 3 News that the assistance can make a major difference for homeowners facing what can be an expensive repair.
“I’m thrilled that we have, you know, good money available to help people because septic repairs, they’re costly and they’re also one of those things that for quality of life, you want the grandkids playing in a yard that doesn’t go squish, squish, squish,” Bontekoe said.
Failing septic systems can also pose environmental and public health concerns. Bontekoe said septic failures can lead to E. coli and fecal contamination reaching the surface or washing into nearby waterways.
“If that’s too much there and it’s washing into the creek, the creek gets an elevated E. coli level,” Bontekoe said. “That’s why these grants from the state are available — to help improve the water quality, have clean water, and ultimately keep people healthier.”
A similar program launched in 2023 helped 22 property owners complete septic system repairs. That effort also funded a rain garden in Rossville designed to reduce erosion, sediment and debris entering the watershed.
Additional efforts to clean up Chattanooga Creek are also planned. Bontekoe said a floating trash trap will be installed in the creek to collect plastic bags, cups and other litter before the debris can travel farther downstream.
Residents interested in the septic repair program can check their property’s eligibility through the Limestone Valley Resource Conservation and Development Council’s online map https://www.limestonevalley.org/septic-program .
Credit: WRCB Local 3 News, Chattanooga, Tennessee