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The
Sheridan County Conservation District (SCCD) has funding available to
provide cost-share assistance to landowners wishing to make improvements
to septic systems in Sheridan County. This assistance is one component
of an overall water resources program. The purpose of this component
is to encourage proper design, installation, and maintenance of septic
systems that will assist in reducing water quality impacts from septic
systems. Although not required, an information and education component,
which might include a tour of the site, will be encouraged as a way to
facilitate broad-scale change throughout the watershed.
As part of this program, technical assistance from
the SCCD and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
partnership will be provided to assist in the self-assessment, design,
and installation of septic systems. Other qualified personnel may be
used for technical support. All work must meet requirements outlined in
the Sheridan County Regulations for a Permit to Construct, Install or
Modify Small Wastewater Facilities and Related Design Standards and
the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ) Wyoming Water
Quality Rules and Regulations Chapter 3. SCCD/NRCS staff will work
with the selected applicants to develop a contract and budget, design an
appropriate system, obtain the necessary permits, and install the
system. The contract will be between the landowner and the SCCD.
Applications to the program will be accepted
continually with batching periods advertised as needed. Individuals not
selected in one batching period will have the option of renewing their
application for the next period.
Applications will be prioritized and selected by a
steering committee, which consists of personnel from the SCCD, NRCS,
WDEQ City of Sheridan, Sheridan County, engineers, and contractors. The
SCCD Board of Supervisors will make the final approval decision on all
projects based on recommendations from the Steering Committee.
The Steering Committee will base decisions on
consensus rather than majority vote. The Water Resources Program,
including the septic system improvements component is based on water
quality improvements. All projects are evaluated in light of the
overall benefit to water quality. Other factors, such as financial need
will not be used as criteria. The following basic criteria will be used
when prioritizing applications.
Location of the system in proximity to an impaired
or other surface waterbody. Systems within 200 feet of a surface
water body will generally receive a higher priority. Other
circumstances, such as steep terrain or obvious discharge (via straight
pipe or system failure) that indicate a high probability that wastewater
is reaching the waterbody will also receive a higher priority.
An assessment of the system’s risk or need for
improvement. Systems that appear to have the greatest impact on
surface water quality will generally receive a higher priority. This
assessment includes information on the distance to surface and
groundwater sources; the age, type, and condition of the system
components; and other pertinent site conditions. A self-assessment form
is available from the SCCD/NRCS office.
The density of individual systems or the ability
of an individual improvement to impact water quality. Areas that
will likely benefit from individual septic system improvements may
receive higher priority than areas where the expansion of sewer lines is
expected within the next 5 years or areas where the density of
individual systems lend themselves more to a centralized treatment
system (such as Story or Big Horn). There may be some cases in these
areas where an individual system improvement may increase awareness and
encourage residents to consider centralized systems.
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Sheridan County Conservation District