Clark County Public Health Outlines Key Environmental Goals

Clark County Public Health presented its goals at the June 28 Health Board meeting. Dr Alan Melnick, director of public health, said there was a lot of behind-the-scenes work related to environmental health.

“What we do in our environmental health programs is focus on the relationship between people and their environment to promote health and protect us,” Melnick said.

According to him, this means monitoring the natural environment, including air, soil, water and food, as well as activities related to housing, transport, roads and parks. Examples of this work include monitoring septic systems to protect drinking water sources and promoting sidewalks, bike paths, and footpaths.

“We really like to think of our environmental health programs as safety programs,” Melnick said. "We believe that everyone who lives in Clark County deserves a safe and healthy environment."

Melnick noted three public health programs that focus on water safety: drinking water, on-site septic water, and recreational water.

While not everyone in Clark County gets their drinking water from the same source — some residents have private wells while others rely on Clark's utilities or small regional water supplies — Melnick said groundwater protection is important to all systems. .

“By protecting groundwater, we prevent people from becoming infected with waterborne diseases,” Melnik said.

He also added that this protects residents from exposure to harmful pollutants such as arsenic and nitrate.

Public health is protecting drinking water by monitoring septic systems, evaluating new or replacement wells, approving wells, and reviewing construction projects that could impact water resources, Melnick said. Last year, the ministry processed 137 applications for drilling permits.

Monitoring and checking septic systems is especially important when it comes to county groundwater that is safe for consumption.

"We certainly don't want it to contaminate a water source that could be a drinking water source," he said.

'Better'

The Public Health Service is also working with local restaurants to ensure they follow food safety guidelines to reduce the spread of pathogens or contaminants.

Melnik noted that the main sources of funding for public health environmental programs are user charges, as well as government subsidies and funds. The Board of Health is expected to review these fees in the coming weeks.

“Most of the work we do in public health is governed by state law. However, some of the services we provide are considered a great boon because they are not associated with a specific permit or license, but benefit the entire community,” Melnick said.

Work done for the common good includes monitoring lakes and beaches for blue-green algae blooms and monitoring water systems for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances known as PFAS, trichlorethylene and other harmful substances.

Clark County Councilman Gary Medwigi said the county is trying to help, not punish, homeowners who try to keep their wells running. Medwigi also asked if there were any programs to help low-income families.

“Testing is expensive… do we have programs to help people cover those costs?” asked Medvigius.

Chuck Harman, who has a septic program, said there isn't one, but the state health department can help.

Medwigi also said that there were cases where there was a discrepancy between the country code and the application. The problem recently arose after an unauthorized septic tank was installed during construction, he said.

“During this process, I learned that although there was no permission… basically we had a hidden code application where the permission was really separated from the work (public health) to make sure the septic tank was installed correctly.” Medvigy said. .

Medwigi asked if the Public Health Service was taking steps to improve its work with other departments.

Harman said every situation is unique, but departments work together.

“Most of the time we communicate and coordinate with law enforcement when in some cases there are public health concerns regarding septic tanks and wells,” Harman said at the meeting.

Melnick said he's a fan of on-site septic systems because they recharge groundwater, as opposed to sewer systems, which send material into the ocean.

“The problem is that when you get into a very dense environment, you have to have sewage…because with many septic systems you end up polluting the groundwater,” Melnick added.

Recreational safety

Last but not least of the three programs is Recreational Water Safety, which aims to prevent recreational water related illnesses and death or injury from drowning.

“When we check pools and spas, one of the most important things we look at is if the doors are high enough, if the doorknob is high enough to get in, and if the door is closed,” Melnick said.

Because drowning is the leading cause of death in children aged 1 to 4, Melnick said it's important to pay attention to it. He said the department is also looking into issues related to infectious diseases.

“We focus on recreational water features, including swimming pools such as those found in hotels, health clubs and residential complexes, spas…splash pads and floating structures. Proper care of them reduces the incidence of waterborne diseases,” Melnik said.

To watch the entire meeting, go to https://clark.wa.gov/councilors/clark-county-council-meetings and click the video link.

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