Help to Connect to Sewer & Water Available

In addition to the St. Mary’s County Health Department’s Clear Water Program that provides Bay Restoration grant funding to existing residential properties with failing septic systems, two new pilot programs are now available through the St. Mary’s County Metropolitan Commission:

St. Mary’s County Health Department’s Clear Water Program administers the Bay Restoration Fund which provides funding for connecting homes to public sewer and helping with nitrogen-reducing septic systems to reduce harmful nutrients discharged into the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

All St. Mary’s County property owners who utilize an onsite septic system are eligible to apply. Funding awards will be made based on the availability of Bay Restoration funds, the priority level of the project and the property owner’s total income.

In two new pilot programs, MetComm is also offering assistance to income-qualifying customers:

(1) The Connection Incentive Program provides assistance to owners of existing residential properties currently served by septic and/or well systems, with all or a portion of the costs of connecting to available public sewer and water systems. George Erichsen, the executive director of MetCom, suggests the program may be suitable for property owners facing these scenarios: failing septic system, a property that cannot pass a percolation test, insufficient open space to add a new drainage field, a contaminated or failing well, or a property owner who may simply want the convenience and security of a public system connection. Limited funding will be available on a first-come, first-served basis through a $250,000 operating revolving loan fund to provide loans of up to $25,000 per property. Longer term payback periods (reimbursement to MetCom) may also be available for individuals/households that meet certain financial eligibility criteria.

(2) The Special Benefit Assessment Program is a voluntary capital funding mechanism that addresses the need for extending, expanding, and upgrading water and sewer systems to serve existing residential communities and individual properties currently not served. This program is an excellent opportunity for citizens to collaborate with each other to pool resources making connections more affordable. Individual residential property owners or communities may petition MetCom to extend service to their property and the associated costs to the benefited properties would be reimbursed to MetCom over a period of up to 20 years.

With the funding opportunities now available for connections to public sewer and water, it is hoped that citizens will consider taking advantage of one of these new programs and connect to a public system. If you are already a customer, share this news with a neighbor or someone else that you feel might benefit.

For more information on these programs, call MetCom at 301-737-7400 or go to the MetCom website and click on either Connection Incentive Programs or Forms & Applications under the Fiscal tab.