KINGWOOD – The Preston County Health Department is considering a revolving waste water loan fund similar to one in Mon County.
Preston Health Department Administrator V.J. Davis told the county board of health Tuesday that he contacted the Mon Health Department about its Waste Water Revolving Loan Fund. The Mon County fund provides low interest loans of up to $10,000 to repair or replace failing on-site sewage systems. Interest on the loan does not exceed 3 percent and the loan must be repaid within 15 years.
Davis said the Mon County program started in 1999 and currently has enough funds coming in to cover the loans going out.
“The two loan funds through the state won’t finance surface discharge systems,” Davis said about the USDA and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) loans.
The West Virginia Housing Development Fund, in partnership with the DEP, has the On-Site Systems Loan Program. It is designed to help eligible households repair or replace on-site septic systems or connect to a public treatment system.
If an individual can’t get approval for the $10,000 loan through West Virginia Housing, the application is sent on to the DEP. If it is approved by the DEP, the DEP guarantees the loan for the homeowner.
“There is nothing out there for them (loans for surface discharge systems). Mon said a number of the loans they make are for surface discharge systems,” Davis said.
Davis said he would develop a proposal and take it to the Preston County Commission to ask them it to provide funds for the program. “We could start with $50,000,” he said. “We could put in $25,000 and they could put in $25,000.”
Dr. Fred Conley said he believed it would be a worthwhile endeavor. “It will benefit everyone,” he said.
“I believe it would be money well spent,” Davis added. “It would help clean up raw sewage, which is a health hazard.”
Davis said he would have a rough draft of the project for the board’s next meeting.
In other business, the board voted to provide professional memberships for the staff to the West Virginia Public Health Association and to their professional sections. They also voted to pay professional license fees for the staff.
