Clean Water Resources for Residents

What you can do

You can help prevent human, livestock, and pet waste that contains disease causing organisms, including fecal coliform, from entering our waterways. Here are some things you can do to help keep our waters, and your family, healthy.

Maintain your septic system

  • Septic system contents can flow into the groundwater and into nearby waterways. Protect your investment by inspecting your septic system (at least every 3 years) and having your system pumped (generally every 3-5 years).
  • Learn more about septic system care.
Septic System Inspection

Manage your livestock manure

  • Composting and covering your manure pile are ways to reduce runoff and prevent pollution of nearby waters. Visit the Snohomish Conservation District website or talk with their staff about the best way to manage manure on your property.
  • View an example (PDF) of how to properly manage livestock manure.
Rosgaard farm, credit Snohomish Conservation District

Pick up after your pets

  • Proper disposal of pet waste prevents disease causing organisms from entering our waterways and harming you and your family. The solution is easy: scoop the poop, bag it, and place it in the trash.
  • Learn more about preventing pollution from pet waste.
Black and white dog

Technical Assistance

Various organizations provide landowners and residents with technical assistance on a range of topics.

  • Snohomish County Surface Water Management
    • Assistance and information about the surface water on your property. Free site visits to your property are available to answer questions regarding issues such as water pollution prevention, invasive weed control, bank erosion, beaver problems, or things you can do to protect and restore your stream, river, or wetland. If you live on a lake, visit LakeWise for more detailed information.
    • Contact: Alex Pittman at 425-262-2466 or alex.pittman@snoco.org 
  • Snohomish Conservation District
    • The District helps residents conserve and protect natural resources through education, technical and financial assistance, and incentives to ensure a healthy environment, clean water, and a thriving agricultural industry. Services include engineering and farm planning assistance, stormwater management, forestry planning, and riparian planting.
    • Contact: 425-335-5634
  • Snohomish Health District
    • SHD is an independent special purpose district that is responsible for public health in Snohomish County which includes on-site sewage systems (OSS) and solid waste disposal. SHD investigates OSS complaints, corrects failures, and reviews designs of proposed repairs.
    • Contact: 425-339-5250

Financial Assistance

Snohomish County offers multiple programs to assist landowners with costs related to water quality improvement projects.

  • Savvy Septic Program offers funding options for OSS maintenance and repairs. Applications must first be submitted to Savvy Septic before being eligible for a Discretionary Fund grant.
  • Snohomish Conservation District provides private landowners with funding toward the cost of water quality and salmon habitat improvement projects. Funding may cover all or a portion of costs for projects such as livestock exclusion fencing, gutters and downspouts, compost and waste storage structures, livestock heavy use areas, and native plantings. This funding is awarded through a competitive process.

Additional Information