CAPE GEORGE — When smelly water bubbled to the surface of John and Jacqueline Lane’s front lawn in early March, they sensed a problem.
“It started oozing up,” recalls John Lane, adding that a friend with experience in septic systems told him a “biomass” had formed in the drainfield, clogging up the works, refusing to perk.
“When it started getting dry and it didn’t go away, I knew I was in trouble.”
Their septic system had failed, one that worked 21 years for the Lanes and at least 20 more for the home’s first owners.
Knowing their yard had become a health hazard, the Lanes sought a Jefferson County permit for a new system.
While at the county offices, he found an information leaflet about ShoreBank Enterprise Cascadia’s Hood Canal Septic Loan Program.
The Lanes became the first of seven in Jefferson County so far to qualify for the low-interest loans to replace traditional septic tanks and drainfields with more complex systems.
Such systems are needed to meet newer state regulations requiring greater ground protection of ground and surface waters.
