MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The state has taken another key step in addressing open sewage problems in Lowndes County that have received national attention due to their shocking nature.
The Alabama Department of Public Health recently announced it has entered into a contract with the Lowndes County Unincorporated Wastewater Program Sewer Board for the installation of septic systems for residents lacking access. The department is urging residents in need of septic service to complete an assessment that will be used to determine which homes are most in need.
State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said the department is committed to putting federal and state resources to use in alleviating the sewage problems.
“ADPH recognizes the opportunity to address this longstanding problem in Lowndes County,” Harris said. “Thanks to the support of Governor Ivey and the Alabama Legislature, resources have been made available to start working on the issue of inadequate wastewater disposal. Our agency has witnessed the needs of these folks first-hand, and ADPH is always available to lend a helping hand to Alabamians in need.”
Since May 2023, ADPH has been working with the U.S. Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services to address sewage disposal issues in Lowndes County, including by creating an environmental health assessment to analyze health risks associated with exposure to sewage. Information from that assessment will be used to prioritize the first round of septic system installations, according to a new release.
This initial contract is worth $1.5 million, which was made available through the American Rescue Plan Act and allocated by the Alabama Legislature.
The health assessment is available online at: https://epiweb.adph.state.al.us/redcap/surveys/?s=XAMAXKHDRXXXLDLE.
The ADPH must identify and address the wastewater needs in Lowndes County, per a May agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice.
Alabama Daily News reported last year that the department was working on a long-range plan to provide wastewater treatment to homes where the clay soil thwarts traditional septic tanks and drain fields and more advanced, expensive systems are out of reach of residents in the county where the median income is about $33,000 and about 29% of the population lives in poverty. Instead, waste can flow out of homes through pipes and onto the ground.
The agreement between the DOJ and ADPH followed a nearly two-year investigation by the federal agency.
Under the agreement, the state cannot fine or otherwise penalize people who don’t have adequate wastewater systems in their homes and it has to come up with “plans for obtaining and using federal funding, including American Rescue Plan Act, and other funding or technical assistance designated to ADPH from the Alabama legislature or other entities, to (a) install technologically sound, ADPH-permitted onsite wastewater systems designed to function in Lowndes County site conditions…”
The agreement was the first environmental justice settlement ever secured by the DOJ under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Under the agreement, the state cannot fine or otherwise penalize people who don’t have adequate wastewater systems in their homes and it has to come up with “plans for obtaining and using federal funding, including American Rescue Plan Act, and other funding or technical assistance designated to ADPH from the Alabama Legislature or other entities, to (a) install technologically sound, ADPH-permitted onsite wastewater systems designed to function in Lowndes County site conditions…”
The agreement only pertains to Lowndes County, but the lack of septic tanks and wastewater treatment is an issue in other Alabama Counties, particularly in the Black Belt.