State revolving loan funds repair and replace failing home wastewater systems

摘要

Approximately 25% of homes in the United States use an individual onsite home wastewater treatment system or small-community cluster system to manage wastewater. These household treatment systems are located primarily in rural and suburban areas not served by public wastewater treatment facilities. Although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) has recognized that properly designed and managed decentralized wastewater systems are a cost-effective and sustainable option to ensure protection of public health and the environment, the use of onsite home wastewater treatment systems for sustainable wastewater treatment presents some unique challenges. More than half of the home systems existing today were installed prior to the implementation of modern state or local wastewater regulations. Therefore, some system designs may be substandard. Other systems may be at or near their design life spans.