Cascadia worked with Sound Resolutions to assist this rural county on the Olympic Peninsula with developing an approach to fund their new on-site sewage system (OSS) management plan. We reviewed statutory mechanisms for assessing a fee on septic system owners, developed budget projections for the program, and refined a model predicting the funds raised under various proposed scenarios. We developed a series of clear and concise reports on this work to assist Clallam County Environmental Health Services staff in presenting financing options to the Clallam County OSS Work Group.

Cascadia previously helped to develop the OSS management plan, which outlines how Clallam County will work with landowners to find, inspect, repair, and maintain all septic systems in the county. The OSS Work Group also recommended creating a Marine Recovery Area in the Sequim-Dungeness Bay watershed where the County will focus extra effort to protect and restore the shellfish growing areas in that region. Lastly, the plan recommends education and outreach efforts, financial incentives, and a compliance program to improve implementation. This plan was completed and approved by the Clallam County Board of Health in 2007.