Arlo Cibula and his pup Mr. Wilson pictured at his and wife Nancy Cibula’s Vining home in early September following the installation of a new septic system financed through a grant from the Iowa Finance Authority’s Water Infrastructure Fund. The grant – which replaces aging private septic systems in unsewered communities like Vining – was funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

VINING – After being injured in a serious car accident earlier this year, Vining residents Arlo and Nancy Cibula recently received a solid win by way of a completely free, new septic system – arriving just in time for SepticSmart Week – and it’s all thanks to the efforts of County Sanitarian Chris Behrens.

“It was two, almost three years ago we got a letter from [Behrens] saying the state had received this money and we were entitled to a new septic system,” Arlo recalled as he stood on Saturday, Sept. 7 near a large area of disturbed ground on his and Nancy’s property which is tucked up on a hill in the northwest corner of Vining. “Man, I couldn’t believe that. He didn’t know too much about it either but said ‘I’ll send you the papers.'”

Upon receiving the paperwork for the Iowa Finance Authority’s Water Infrastructure Fund (WIF) grant – which awards funding to replace onsite wastewater systems in unsewered communities using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds – Arlo and Behrens quickly filled out the application and Behrens sent it on its way.

“Then we waited and waited and nothing happened,” Arlo continued. “Almost a year went by and then [Behrens] called me to say the [funding] was all gone. I thought, oh well, it was worth a try. Then almost two years later this (past) June, he called one day – Nancy had just come home from the hospital – and said, ‘Guess what? You got accepted.'”

Three unsewered communities in Tama County – Vining, Dinsdale, and Buckingham – were eligible for the grants, Behrens told the newspaper. In total, the Cibulas along with three other properties in Vining, four in Dinsdale, and three in Buckingham had their grant applications approved before the Phase I funding completely dried up.

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

“[Eleven] properties total received over $165,000 in Tama County to update their septics,” Behrens said.

According to the Iowa Finance Authority, Iowa has over 500 communities considered ‘unsewered.’ Such communities often face both environmental and public health risks due to the age and condition of the private sewage disposal systems present. The WIF grant provides funding to repair or upgrade those systems. Properties eligible for the grant under Phase I were required to function as either a primary residence or a place of business, had to be built before July 1, 1983, and could not have transferred ownership since July 1, 2009.

All costs directly associated with design, permitting, and construction of the new or replacement systems were covered under the grant.

The Cibulas, who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary the day the newspaper visited, have lived in their home since shortly after they were married. They raised a trio of kids in the picturesque white farmhouse that once belonged to Arlo’s uncle. During all those years, Arlo said, the septic system had never been replaced.

“Our old [septic] was probably put in the ’50s or ’60s. It was a little tank. No [leach] field either. It had a brick cistern cesspool. Over the years, it plugged up and wouldn’t go anywhere.”

Arlo said the tank itself was cement and had a metal lid. His uncle had put fence posts across it to keep the ground from caving in around it.

“It wasn’t up to code,” Arlo admitted. “Sometimes it would gurgle, toilet paper would get stuck. A few times I had to run a snake. Every year it was like, am I going to get by another year? We went 50 years and we had three kids. I tried to pump it out every so often. I was going to pump it out this summer.”

Despite all its deficiencies, due to the age of the Cibulas’ home and the fact they had never sold the property, the system had essentially been grandfathered in, which is a commonality across many of Iowa’s unsewered communities.

On the day of the new septic installation, Arlo said contractors with Scharnweber Inc. of Toledo worked quickly.

“They came in at nine o’clock and by three o’clock in the afternoon, they got it done. I had a pretty easy setup. They pumped out the old septic tank, collapsed it, then dug the hole for the new septic tank and dropped the new tank.”

About an hour later, Scharnweber had the Cibulas’ new septic system including a spacious 1500 gallon tank hooked up to the house.

“There wasn’t a penny out of our pocket,” Arlo said. “The bid was almost $12,000. It covered everything [including] the perk test and permit. The perk test determines the system. Mine is conventional – I’ve got this nice slope.”

Arlo said the entire process was smooth and easy thanks to Behrens’ assistance.

“He was out here several times. He came out the day they started. He even stopped one day to see if we got the money.”

While he has fielded some queries from neighbors as to why he was awarded the grant when they were not, it appears it all came down to timing with funding awarded on a first come, first serve basis. But Arlo does wish the funding had not run out.

“It’s good for everyone. It keeps all the water safe. There’s quite a few people in town who could use [new] septics.”

While Arlo stood on the hill that day looking out at his new septic system – Nancy seated nearby on a lawn chair – he managed several fantastic, but not-safe-for-print-in-the-newspaper puns about the whole process. A ‘solid win’ was settled upon to describe the experience.

“The way things went this summer [following the car accident], at least something good happened.”

Be SepticSmart!

According to the Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR), fall is “a great time for one in four Iowans to take a few simple steps to protect their pocket books, their septic systems and Iowa’s waters.” To that end, the Iowa DNR encouraged everyone with private septics to celebrate the 12th anniversary of SepticSmart Week which took place Sept. 16-20 this year.

“Everything we put down the drain has an impact on our septic system’s health,” Cory Frank, the Iowa DNR On-site Wastewater Coordinator, said in a news release. “Dishwasher pods, liquid drain cleaners, even the type of toilet paper you use can cause significant damage to your system and the environment, and potentially cost you thousands of dollars.”

The Environmental Protection Agency stresses six simple tips to keep private septic systems performing optimally year round including:

1) Don’t Strain Your Drain: Use water efficiently and stagger washing, dishwashing and other high water uses.

2) Think at the Sink: Avoid pouring fats, solids and harsh chemicals down the drain.

3) Don’t Overload the Commode: Flush only toilet paper, not tissues, wipes, paper towels, pet litter or any other trash.

4) Shield Your Field: No parking and no tree planting keep septic fields functioning.

5) Pump Your Tank: Follow your professional’s recommendations.

6) Protect It and Inspect It: Service the system every one to three years.

For additional information on septic system operations, maintenance, and water quality resources, refer to iowadnr.gov/septic.

For more information on the Iowa Finance Authority’s Water Infrastructure Fund, check out https://www.iowafinance.com/waterinfrastructure, or contact Tama County Sanitarian Chris Behrens at 641-481-3550 or cbehrens@tcph.tamacountyiowa.gov.