Wednesday, 17 December 2008

By ANDREW MARTIN

With the deadline for Charlestown residents to replace their cesspools coming in May, the Wastewater Management Commission is looking for ways to help those who need financial assistance.

Per the town’s cesspool phase-out program, all cesspools must be removed by May 2009. To date, there are 244 remaining, according to Town Wastewater Specialist Matthew Dowling. Of that total, 84 homeowners have permits from the state Department of Environmental Management to replace their cesspools. And there are 130 property owners who have not had their first inspection, which means there is no record of what kind of system is on the property.

But even with all of those unknowns, Town Wastewater Specialist Dowling remained positive about the phase-out program’s efficiency. When he sent out notices for inspection in June, there were 700 lots that had not been inspected. And after the second notice, that number has decreased to 130, he said.

When asked why there has not been a 100 percent success rate, Dowling said there will always be a portion of people who will just brush it off. As a way to reach those people, the commission voted last Wednesday to send out a third and final letter in January to homeowners that have not had their lot inspected. If they fail to comply, a notice of violation will remain on the property’s deed until an inspection takes place.

As for those property owners who have complied and need to replace their cesspools, the commission called upon the “go-to-guy” for grants and loans for people who require financial assistance. Unfortunately, as Geoffrey Marchant, of the East Greenwich Community Development Consortium, said, there simply are not that many options out there.

“There is not a lot of grant money, but it’s out there,” Marchant said. In particular, there was one option he raised that gave some hope to the commission.

Marchant explained that the United States Department of Agriculture offers a $7,500 grant for home repairs to citizens who are at least 62 years old. He added that the USDA considers putting the money toward repairing a cesspool or septic system an eligible use.

The grant is a one-time amount, though, meaning that if you used $3,000 one year, you only have $4,500 left. Also, grants typically have an extensive waiting list, which Marchant made particular note of when he voiced this option. For property owners under 62 years old, Marchant said the USDA offers low-interest loans. (For more information from the USDA, you can call Gina Sayles at 826-0842).

Marchant said that state Community Development Block Grants (CDBGs) could also be available in the future for cesspool and septic system repairs and upgrades. This year, Charlestown was awarded $20,000 to put toward installing systems in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Shannock Village, which Marchant said the state considers a revitalization area.

To date, there has been one use of the CDBG money for a $8,400 septic system purchase and installation in Columbia Heights, according to Marchant. Should the remaining $11,600 be used soon, he said the state would be more willing to provide funds again next year and possibly increase the grant amount.

In related news, the commission will meet this week to refine a letter its members crafted to send to the DEM. Their intent is to ask for a moratorium on the state’s new septic system regulations. The laws, adopted at the beginning of 2008, require homeowners in the Critical Resource Area – 200 feet from the coast and salt ponds – to replace their cesspool or failed septic system with a denitrification system. These systems are designed to lower nitrogen levels in waste.

A moratorium on the regulations would allow residents in the CRA to upgrade to a conventional system, which costs far less than a denitrification system. Although the commission agreed that nitrogen loading must be reduced, Chairwoman Elizabeth Carpentieri said the DEM has stated denitrification systems will not be enough to restore the salt ponds.