Black Belt wastewater program launches new element of its solution to the sewage crisis

Rain tends to throw a wrench in the plans of Lowndes County residents.

Typically, it leads to backed up plumbing and overflowing sewage in yards, but this week, it also stopped the installment of five new sewage systems in unincorporated areas.

Leaders of the Black Belt Unincorporated Wastewater Program have been on a years-long journey to solve the county’s sewage crisis that impacts hundreds of residents, and in partnership with several other organizations, they have a viable solution.

Several new systems have already gone into the ground at no cost to the homeowners, and five more homes were set to receive help this week. Because the dark, rich clay soil in the Black Belt doesn’t allow for much water filtration, though, the group was unable to move forward with installations as soon as the rain started on Tuesday.

More: No working septic tank in Lowndes County? Here's how to apply for help

However, residents of those five homes still felt some relief.

Volunteer plumbers who traveled from across the state installed advanced water-efficient plumbing fixtures inside the homes to reduce the amount of sewage and strain on sanitation systems.

“When you think about it, with the Black Belt soil, the enemy is water,” project leader Sherry Bradley said.

Bradley serves as the director of the state Bureau of Environmental Services, and she teamed up with Lowndes resident Perman Hardy in 2018 to start the effort that became the Black Belt Unincorporated Wastewater Program.

The group has recorded a 40% drop in water usage with the new fixtures, according to Bradley.

The interior plumbing updates this week launched the Community Plumbing Project, which the International Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Foundation (IWSH) is leading. This part of the program has been in the works for over two years and experienced delays because of the pandemic.

“When we first learned about the situation in the county here with regards to sewage waste disposal, and the lack of infrastructure and the lack of the ability to deal with it, that’s something that breaks our hearts as plumbers,” IWSH North American Program director Jed Scheuermann said. "We believe that potable water and adequate sanitation are basic human rights."

Scheuermann, Bradley and others involved with the program gathered in the Lowndes County Courthouse on Thursday to explain plans moving forward. A small crowd of Lowndes residents met them to ask questions and request applications for help.

While the program has been up and running for months now, a lot of people without access to adequate sanitation in their homes are still learning about it.

“I’ve received maybe 15 to 20 calls today about the program,” Bradley said. “It’s growing, and I can see it even bigger.”

For now, the Black Belt Unincorporated Wastewater Program is committed to providing new systems to 175 homes. There is no down payment required, but homeowners pay a monthly fee of $20 for maintenance.

Individuals who would like to be considered can request an application from the Black Belt Unincorporated Wastewater Program by emailing bbuwp@yahoo.com or calling 334-300-6619.

Hadley Hitson covers the rural South for the Montgomery Advertiser and Report for America. She can be reached at hhitson@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Rain postpones Lowndes County sewage system installations