Environmental Health

 
WHAT WE DO

Sewage, Water and Other

 

We approve and permit any new private sewage systems and water wells installed in the county.  If you are going to install or repair any private sewage system or private water well, or sealing any old water wells, please contact this office.  We will give you a planning guide and permit application.  A homeowner may install his own system, if the home is his primary residence.  Please contact us prior to installation.  We will gladly provide you with pipe size and type, as well as proper distances components have to be from the house, property line, etc. The system has to be permitted and inspected by this office.  If you are going to have a contractor install the system (which we highly recommend), that contractor must be an Illinois licensed private sewage installer.  Contacting this office prior to installing a sewage system or water well or sealing an existing well may save you money and headaches later.  We do not inspect, test or do anything with city sewer or city water.  If you are having trouble with city water or sewer, contact your water or sewer provider.  If they do not address your problem, contact the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency at   http://www.epa.state.il.us/water/

We also inspect body art establishments.  Before you open a body art (tattoo and/or piercing) establishment you need to contact Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Division of Food, Drugs and Dairies at 217-785-2439.  IDPH will then notify us and we will do the inspections for IDPH.

During the summer months, we treat standing water for mosquito larvae.  We do not spray for adult mosquitoes. We also trap adult female mosquitoes and test them for West Nile Virus. We would like the public to notify us if they find a dead bird, so we can have the bird tested for West Nile Virus.  The birds need to be dead for less than 24 hours, with no signs of decay.  We cannot test birds that have been killed by animals, shot or show signs of trauma as the cause of death.  Birds that die of West Nile Virus are usually found alone, not in groups of several birds together.

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THINGS WE DO NOT DO

1.  We do not inspect nor condemn houses, apartments or any other structures.

2.  We do not test for, nor get rid of mold, mildew or any thing that resembles mold or mildew.

3. We do not test for rabies, nor any other animal diseases in bats, dogs or people.

4.  We do not make your neighbor clean up after his animals nor himself.

If you are unsure if we can help with your problem, do not hesitate to contact us, but please do not get angry when we tell you we can not help.  We will try to at least point you in the right direction.  It may seem like it, but we are not trying to give you the run around.  We may be just like you, and not know who can help.  Sometimes everything is not covered by code or regulation.  If a situation is not covered by code, regulation or law we can not force a person to correct what you think is a public health problem. For any questions, please call Brian Wells, Director of Environmental Health at 618-244-7134 ext. 215.  

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INSPECTIONS OF FOOD SERVICE ESTABLISHMENTS

There are approximately 200 food service establishments in Jefferson County. We inspect each one.  We inspect some establishments once a year, some twice a year and some three times a year depending on their risk classification.  For example, retail stores and some bars we inspect once a year, fast food establishments we inspect twice a year and establishments that have more complicated menus or their main cliental are either young, elderly or in poor health , such as buffets and schools, nursing homes, hospitals and day cares three times a year. 

It is important that if you are going to open a food service establishment to contact us prior to opening.  We will need to approve and permit the establishment.  Contacting us first may save you money and headaches.  The establishment must meet the requirements of the Illinois Department of Public Health Food Sanitation Code, such as a commercial three compartment sink, separate hand sink, smooth durable and easily cleanable floors.  We will send you a planning guide.  We will be glad to answer any questions you may have.  Doing things right will save you headaches as well as us.  Our main goal is to prevent food borne illness. 

If you are planning a temporary event to sell food that will last 2 or more days, you must contact us.  We will have to inspect and permit you, prior to your opening.

We also offer hand washing presentations to schools, nursing homes or any other organization that wishes to show the proper why to wash hands.  We use a powder that glows in UV light.  We put this on the hands and let the participants try to wash it off.  Most people are surprised on how poorly they are at washing hands.  Kids really get a kick out of this.

We do not give Certified Food Service Manager classes but can tell you where they are given. 

Click here for more information http://dph.illinois.gov/fssmccourses/Default.aspx

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To see how restaurants in our area fared in the Restaurant Report Card this month,
visit WSIL-TV 3 for more information.