Homeowners dealing with a failing septic system may be eligible for help through a pair of grants Haywood Waterways Association recently received from the N.C. Division of Water Resources and the Pigeon River Fund. 

The $80,000 in grant money will go to help homeowners repair failing systems, which could otherwise leach raw sewage into local waterways. Since 2006, Haywood Waterways and the Haywood County Environmental Health Department have worked together to fix 38 failing systems, preventing as much as 14,000 gallons of dirty water per day from entering the water. Their work has significantly reduced bacteria levels in local streams. 

Clues of a failing system include slow plumbing, foul odors, excessive grass growth, soggy soil and standing ground water near the system. In a failing system, everything dumped into sinks and toilets can leak into groundwater and waterways, including human fecal waste. 

Grant funds pay 75 percent of total repair cost. Projects are prioritized by severity of failure and proximity to waterways. 828.452.6682.