There’s a new website that provides extensive information on Suffolk County’s recently adopted septic improvement program and all of the financial incentives now available to residents.
County Executive Steve Bellone announced the ReclaimOurWater.info website Tuesday.
Above is a septic demonstration video the county also put together.
“ReclaimOurWater.info will be a one-stop shop for our residents who want to learn more about the program, how they can sign up, and how we can collectively turn the tide to finally reclaim our water,” Bellone said in a statement.
The systems are proven to drastically reduce the amount of nitrogen that leeches into the ground when compared with traditional systems.
Nitrogen in Long Island’s bays, Sound and creeks come mostly from human waste and fertilizers, studies have found, and it feeds the algal blooms —such as red tides and brown tides — that result in closed beaches and decimated shellfish populations, among other problems.
Residents are also encouraged to contact septicdemo@suffolkcountyny.gov with questions about the program and/0r their current septic or cesspool situation.
The program is scheduled to launch July 1 through an application process, where an estimated 400 Suffolk County homeowners will be selected to receive funding, according to Bellone’s office.
The Suffolk Legislature unanimously approved the program on May 16.
It allows homeowners to apply for a county-funded grant to cover the cost of an advanced wastewater treatment system. Those grants, estimated at $10,000 to $11,000 per homeowners, would cover a huge chunk of the costs of the $16,200 to $19,200 systems.
The rest would be made up through a 15-year, low-interest loan at 3 percent, fixed.
The loan program is being coordinated by Community Development Corporation of Long Island Funding Corp., with financial support from Bridgehampton National Bank.
According to Bellone’s office, the cost to replace and install a new cesspool or septic system with no capabilities to reduce nitrogen is estimated between $6,000 and $8,000.
Prior Coverage from greaterlongisland.com:
Suffolk Closeup: The county has taken a huge step toward protecting its H20
Bellone announces town hall-style series to tout Septic Improvement Program
Bay Shore company will manufacture newly approved nitrogen-reducing septic systems
