The Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program (CBBEP), Nueces County, and the U.S. EPA Gulf of Mexico Program joined forces to replace or repair failing wastewater treatment systems with an On-Site Sewage Facility (OSSF) in eight “Colonias” in Nueces County. OSSF’s are a cost-effective means for providing sewer service to homes in areas where there is adequate land to filter the effluent.

Officials reviewed program candidates and identified those families with the greatest need and the fewest economic resources. The Nueces County Public Health Department ensured that all systems that were rehabilitated or replaced were of the highest quality and met all inspection criteria. Over 25 colonia residents qualified for the OSSF project and received the service free of charge.

A study prepared for the CBBEP identified 20,000 On-Site Sewage Facility systems in four coastal counties within the Coastal Bend. As many as 18 percent of these systems may be failing, with many of those adjacent to impaired water segments. Rural, low-income subdivisions known as “colonias” sometimes do not have wastewater treatment facilities or have failing systems. Overfilled ditches in flood-prone areas allow the sewage to flow into nearby streams, rivers and finally into the bays. The bacterial contamination from these pollutants can render waterways unfit for swimming or restrict fishing and shellfish consumption. Providing economic assistance for the installation of wastewater treatment systems achieves direct and immediate results for both public health and water quality.