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Failing septic systems and straight pipes, which connect home wastewater to rivers and streams without treating the water, contribute too much of the water pollution in Kentucky. Having a sanitary wastewater system is required by state and federal laws, but inputting sewer systems is impossible in some parts of the region due to hilly terrain. In addition, many households cannot afford to upgrade their systems on their own. Eastern Kentucky PRIDE (Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment) Executive Director Rich Thomas says, "When we first started PRIDE about eight years ago, the Area Development Districts in this part of Kentucky did a survey to see how many straight pipes and failing septics there were. They came up with an estimate of about 36,000. I think that number may be low since these systems are hidden from view."

PRIDE's Homeowner Septic System Grant Program offers grants to low-income homeowners in the state's Appalachian counties to pay 100 percent of the cost of replacing straight pipes and failing septic systems with fully functional septics or sewer hook-ups where they are available. "Every time someone flushes a toilet that connects to a straight pipe or to a failing septic, it leaches into one of the streams. Then it gets into the major rivers and it affects all the people who are downstream," Thomas says.

Since the southern and eastern Kentucky area is large and contains 38 counties, PRIDE uses the Kentucky Area Development Districts to reach out to residents and communities with its wastewater improvement programs. Seven ADDs have at least one county in the PRIDE region, and each district has a PRIDE coordinator to distribute information and assist residents with the Homeowner Septic System Grant Program applications.

This program has made a significant impact on decreasing the amount of raw sewage that enters Kentucky's waterways. PRIDE, which is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has devoted over $20 million to providing adequate wastewater treatment for nearly 6,500 homes. In addition, PRIDE accepts applications from cities, counties and utilities to provide sewer systems to residents and to encourage the development of innovative wastewater treatment techniques.

Thomas emphasizes the importance of regional participation in cleaning up Kentucky's waters: "The technology is there to purify water, but it's getting more expensive every day. The more polluted your water is, the more expensive it will be to treat it. So it's important to prevent waste from entering the waterways."

Eastern Kentucky PRIDE, Inc. 2292 South Highway 27 Somerset, KY 42501 Tel: 606.677.6150 Fax: 606.677.6055 http://www.kypride.org