CRAWFORD COUNTY - Crawford County Zoning and Sanitation Manager Jake Shedivy reports he has completed the filing of 22 applications for ‘Wisconsin Fund’ grants in January of 2019. Wisconsin Fund grants help to fund private onsite wastewater treatment system replacement or rehabilitation. 

The fund provides financial assistance to owners of a principal residence (residence occupied at least 51 percent of the year by the owner) and small commercial establishments who meet certain income and eligibility criteria, to cover a portion of the cost of repairing or replacing failing private onsite wastewater treatment systems.

Shedivy reports he has applied for grants totaling $142,150 for 22 applicants, four of which are small commercial establishments. The last year this grant program will be available to state residents who meet income guidelines will be 2019, with the filing deadline of January 31, 2020.

“The 2018 applications I recently submitted will likely be funded at about 56 percent,” Shedivy said. “In the last year of the grant program coming up, applicants can expect to be funded at the rate of 42-45 percent.”

Shedivy says that he expects to see a sharp increase in applications for the grant funds in the last year of the program. In Crawford County, he believes, this will be compounded by the fact that the deadlines for compliance for the County’s new Septic Maintenance Program will be rapidly approaching.

In 2018, Crawford Coun-ty began their POWTS Maintenance Program. POWTS stands for Private Onsite Wastewater Treat-ment System, which essen-tially means a septic system serving a non-sewered property. 

The State of Wisconsin requires that all POWTS comply with state stand-ards.  Each county has been tasked with implementing the program. There are approximately 3,600 POWTS in Crawford County.

The purpose of the new maintenance program is to ensure proper system opera-tion, increase system lifespan, and ensure wastewater is being properly treated before returning to the groundwater and thus protecting our drinking wa-ter.  Most people are already on a maintenance schedule to pump the system every two-to-three years.  Crawford County will now simply be requiring pumpers to certify system functionality. 

Crawford County must receive an inspection form from a pumper, plumber, or inspector for each system at least once every three years.  As long as your system is pumped/inspected by 2021 and a report is submitted, you will be on schedule with the program.