By Tom Hintgen

Otter Tail County Correspondent

County Land and Resource Director Chris LeClair informed county commissioners on April 14 that an additional $500,000 is being made available to help residents of Otter Tail County replace non-compliant subsurface sewage treatment systems (SSTS).

Otter Tail County serves as the lender, with the cost of the system assessed to the property owner’s property taxes which is paid off over 10 years. Loans are made possible through grants provided the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and the Minnesota Clean Water Partnership (CWP).

“We in county government, with these loans, want to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” LeClair said.

Interested property owners can submit an SSTS Financial Assistance Application to the Otter Tail County Land and Resource Management office. The application is available by doing the following online search:

Otter Tail County septic system loan program

Applicants must follow the application checklist at the end of the document and submit all required materials to the county Land and Resource Management Office, Government Services Center, 515 West Fir Avenue, Fergus Falls, MN 56537.

“Providing a complete application and all supporting documentation at once will ensure a quick turnaround of your request for financial assistance,” LeClair said.

After the county receives and reviews all materials for eligibility, Otter Tail County Land and Resource Management approves loans on a first-come and first-serve basis, as long as funds are available. Loan payments are set up as a special assessment on a resident’s property taxes.