Partnership offers assistance to repair, replace septic systems in Attoyac Bayou watershed

Contact: Amy Truong, 979-458-3154, uyen.truong@ag.tamu.edu

NACOGDOCHES – The Attoyac Bayou Watershed Partnership is offering a septic system repair and replacement program to residents in the Attoyac Bayou watershed to help improve and protect the watershed’s water quality.

Funding and technical assistance are available to homeowners to repair or replace malfunctioning aerobic or conventional septic systems within the watershed, according to Amy Truong, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service assistant with the Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.

“Home septic systems are used to treat wastewater before the wastewater is dispersed back into the environment,” Truong said. “Malfunctioning septic systems can cause bacteria to contaminate the environment.”

Truong said th,e Attoyac Bayou Watershed Protection Plan was completed in early 2015, and efforts have been underway to secure financial and technical assistance to implement portions of the plan and improve water quality across the watershed.

“During creation of the plan, stakeholders identified failing septic systems as a major contributor of bacteria in the watershed,” she said. “A goal of the partnership was to reduce the number of failing septic systems in the watershed.”

To find out how they can receive financial or technical assistance, homeowners should contact Pineywoods Resource Conservation and Development at 936-568-0414 or pineywoodsrcd@att.net.

The Attoyac Bayou Watershed Partnership is a collaborative effort of local stakeholders to address water quality concerns within the Attoyac Bayou watershed. The partnership is supported by the Texas Water Resources Institute in collaboration with the Angelina and Neches River Authority, Stephen F. Austin State University, Pineywoods Resource Conservation and Development, and the Nacogdoches Soil and Water Conservation District.

For more information about the Attoyac Bayou Watershed Protection Plan, visit http://attoyac.tamu.edu/.

Funding and support for the Attoyac Bayou Watershed Protection Plan implementation is provided through a Clean Water Act grant from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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