Highland County Health Department officials said Wednesday they have received $290,000 in available funding for household sewage treatment repairs and replacements. This funding is made available through the Water Pollution Control Loan Fund (WPCLF). These funds are for existing failing systems only, not for new construction.

In order to be eligible for this funding, homeowners must also be financially eligible, based on income. For example, a family of 4 with a household income of less than $24,250 is eligible for having 100 percent of their repair costs covered. A family of 4 making $72,750 is still eligible for 50 percent of their costs being covered.

This is the second time that Highland County has received these funds, officials said in a press release. During the last grant period, the health department provided $161,000 to residents of Highland County for the repair or replacement of their failing septic systems.

The health department is currently in the process of conducting inspections of all county household sewage systems, as required by the 2015 statewide sewage law. Kyle Arn, environmental health director at the health department, said, “Eventually, we are going to check on every septic system in the county. If a homeowner knows that they have a problem, now is the time to call us while we have funds that can help.”

In response to home owners who are worried about having the health department find a problem with their system, and then end up not being financially eligible, Arn said, “If you are worried about that, call us first to discuss financial eligibility. Once we know that you are eligible for this funding, then we can talk about your name, address, and the details of your system.”

Questions or concerns regarding septic systems and financial qualifications can be addressed by contacting the health department at 937-393-1941 or emailing [email protected]. The program is on a first come, first serve basis.