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CLEARWTRS Grant Program

The purpose of this grant is to replace substandard pit toilets and septic systems with ones that will have less impact on the Clearwater River Watershed.

MPH was awarded a $230,500 grant from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality to replace outhouses and septic systems at reduced or no cost for the property owners within the area of interest (see below). Applications are due by Feb. 1, 2027 and grant funding must be used by December 2027.

Do you live outside of Seeley Lake but need help replacing a failing septic system? Check out the Missoula County Septic System Replacement Program to see if you are eligible.

Eligible area

Properties must be located along the Clearwater River and west of Seeley Lake. The selected area is outside of the Seeley Lake Sewer District. 

This is an area of known high groundwater, with older septic systems that are almost certainly in groundwater for at least a portion of the year. When systems are too close to groundwater, sufficient treatment does not happen, and the nutrients from wastewater (nitrogen and phosphorous) can cause issues in nearby surface water (like algal blooms, reduced oxygen, fish kills, etc.) This area is also next to an area of known elevated nitrates in groundwater caused by septic systems.

Seeley Lake Septic Replacement Area
Eligibility

To qualify, properties have to: 

  • Have a property within the area of interest
  • Have an existing septic system or pit privy (outhouse)
    • Undeveloped properties or applications to replace systems for increased use (additional bedrooms or living units that were added without permits, after permits were required) do not qualify
  • Be in an area of high groundwater
    • All properties in the area identified on the map below meet this condition
  • Applicants must submit application by Feb. 1, 2027
    • We will accept applications past this date, but the application will not be prioritized. If we do not get interest by this date, we will open the grant to additional areas
Application 
Selection and Prioritization

Properties will be selected to receive grant funding based on potential impacts of existing wastewater systems on the Clearwater River. The department will select recipients utilizing the prioritization list below with #1 being the highest priority. 

  1. Replacement of wastewater systems that are backing up into the structure or surfacing onto the ground.
  2. Replacement of existing unsealed pit privies with sealed pit privies or waterless toilets.
  3. Replacement existing cesspools or seepage pits with elevated sand mounds.
  4. Replacement of existing septic systems that do not meet 4’ separation to groundwater (any other subsurface wastewater system to elevated sand mounds)

This project has been funded wholly or in part by the EPA under assistance agreement SO - 95815370 to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the EPA, nor does the EPA endorse trade names or recommend the use of commercial products mentioned in this document