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The DNR's Onsite Wastewater Systems Assistance Program (OSWAP) provides low-interest loans to rural Iowans for replacement of inadequate or failing septic systems. The program was created to help replace outdated septic systems that still dump untreated wastewater from household septic tanks to open ditches or underground tile lines that flow directly to streams, rivers, lakes or fractured bedrock. Inadequate or failing septic systems contribute to the pollution of wells, groundwater and surface waters with fecal bacteria, viruses and nutrients such as nitrate. An estimated 100,000 septic systems in Iowa are at substandard levels. Many landowners with those systems may not realize their septic systems are breaking the law. According to Iowa law, all septic systems, regardless of when they were installed, must have a secondary wastewater treatment system following the septic tank. OSWAP offers low-interest loans to homeowners at 3%, beginning at $2,000, for a maximum repayment period of 10 years. Loan applicants must be credit-worthy and apply for a loan through participating lenders. The program limits eligibility to owners of existing homes only, in unincorporated areas not served by public sewers. Homeowners wanting to apply for an OSWAP loan must reside in a participating county,*.pdf and must begin by obtaining a septic construction permit from their county sanitarian,*.pdf and completing an OSWAP approval form,*.pdf. Next, they apply for a loan through a participating lender. If their loan is approved, the final step is to hire a septic contractor to complete the approved project. OSWAP is funded through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund (CWSRF). For more information, contact Daniel Olson, Iowa DNR Wastewater Operations (NPDES) Section, at 515-281-8263 or your county sanitarian,*.pdf. Loan activity:
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