The governor&8217;s office has awarded the Aldrich community outside Montevallo a $500,000 grant to fix leaky septic tanks by providing residents with city sewer service.

The Community Development Block Grant will be used to provide city service in the Aldrich neighborhood where faulty private septic tanks have caused raw sewage to seep into yards, ditches and roads.

The coalmining neighborhood was constructed in the 1930s and many of the existing septic tanks installed during that period have deteriorated. According to the governor&8217;s office, septic tanks are not well-suited for the area due to the terrain and soil conditions.

&8220;There are a few septic tanks that are real old,&8221; said Henry Emfinger, a local resident and curator of the Aldrich Coal Mine Museum. &8220;Five or six years ago, Montevallo surveyed the community and asked who wanted city service. They did half of us then. I hope this gets the rest of the community.&8221;

In a press release, Riley praised the two communities for working together to improve living conditions and remove a health hazard.

&8220;Community Development Block Grants enable communities to undertake vital projects that local governments might not otherwise be able to afford,&8221; said Riley. &8220;I commend Montevallo officials for their diligence and dedication in improving their city.&8221;

An 8,6000-foot-long sewer line will be constructed to connect an additional 58 households to city sewer services. To assist in sewage disposal, a pump station and four grinder pumps also will be built.

Riley notified Mayor Sharon Anderson that the grant had been approved. In response, the city is providing $320,000 in other funding for the project