For more information contact Kris Larson, Water Resource Specialist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

ACD has been awarded additional funding through the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for septic system repair or replacement. Grants are currently available to homeowners to help fix non-compliant septic systems. Septic systems are the underground tank and drain field that treat wastewater from homes that are not connected to city sewer and water. Grants recipients must meet low income criteria and other requirements listed below.

A non-compliant septic system is a problem for homeowners, an obstacle when selling the property, and a major pollutant threat facing our waterways. Failure in a SSTS system can be dramatic, such as visible sewage back up. Or a septic system can be deemed non-compliant for a more hidden reason, such as the system does not have enough vertical separation from the water table. When a system is certified as non-compliant it represents a direct threat to groundwater, public health, or both. The proximity of a failing septic system to nearby lakes and streams is also considered when awarding grants. 

For more information, visit www.AnokaSWCD.org/financial-technical-assistance.html or contact Kris Larson, Water Resource Specialist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

It can sometimes feel that the individual actions you make in your daily life cannot combat the massive environmental crisis facing our planet. The scale of action that needs to occur to curb climate change can feel overwhelming and give the impression that individual choices don't make a difference, so what's the point. This type of thinking is incorrect and unproductive. Although decisions we make as individuals may seem like a slow route to a more sustainable planet, these actions are what allow for larger scale social progress.

The MPCA developed an exceptional report: The Psychology of Sustainable Behavior, tips for empowering people to take environmentally positive action. This report focuses on the ideas behind why it is difficult for us as humans to change our behavior even when we know the negative environmental impacts. The MPCA provides insight into how to motivate and empower sustainable actions with the goal of creating social conditions where sustainable choices are the more appealing and natural choice. There are a few arguments to why individual sustainability matters and why it is a crucial component to overall social change.

• "Small changes do add up." - When small changes are made by many individuals, or when one individual makes many small changes, it begins to add up to make a significant difference.
• "Personal changes are the gateways to public change." - All the work put towards influencing individual change helps pave the way and provides the building blocks for future policy changes.
• "Understanding individual motivations help create a new frame." - Gaining insight into how individuals think about environmental problems and sustainability provides the framework to develop new effective ways to talk about environmental issues and can engage a broader segment of the population.
• "Individual change makes sustainable behavior normal." - The more that people see other people living a certain way and talking about things a certain way, the more they come to accept it as a normal way to be and live.

Check out the full MPCA report on influencing sustainable behavior below.