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    Small Community Wastewater Treatment Program

    The Small Community Wastewater Treatment Program provides funding to help communities replace non-complying septic systems and straight pipes with new individual or cluster subsurface sewage treatment systems (SSTS) that will be publicly owned, operated and maintained.

    Overview

    Funds for the program have been appropriated by the legislature from the Clean Water Fund via the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment.

    Administered by the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority, the program provides technical assistance grants and construction grants and loans for public subsurface sewage treatment systems.

    Technical assistance grants up to $60,000 may be used by communities to contract with licensed SSTS professionals, counties, the University of Minnesota on-site sewage treatment program, or qualified nonprofit organization to conduct preliminary site evaluations and prepare feasibility reports, provide advice on possible SSTS alternatives, and help develop the technical, managerial, and financial capacity to build, operate, and maintain SSTS systems.

    The PFA provides construction financing up to $2 million per year at 1 percent interest and grants up to 80 percent, based on affordability criteria.

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