Middle Peninsula residents required to pump out septic tanks could be eligible for financial assistance through the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission, according to MPPDC executive director Lewie Lawrence.

Limited grant funding is available for low-to-moderate income households in the region on a first-come, first-served basis, thanks to funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Approved participants will receive a voucher that covers 50 percent of the cost to pump out a septic tank. A list of participating septic haulers will be provided with the voucher.

Properties eligible for financial assistance must be located in a designated Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area in a Middle Peninsula locality (counties of Essex, Gloucester, King and Queen, King William, Mathews, and Middlesex and the towns of Tappahannock, Urbanna and West Point) and subject to the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act’s requirement to pump out septic tanks every five years.

Applicants mus...