Pictured above is the new logo for the Union County Health Department (UCHD). The changes include putting more emphasis on the “Health Department” words and changing the color scheme. The logos were unveiled at the UCHD’s health department meeting Wednesday and are expected to phase out the old logo by July.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Jacob Runnels)
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The Union County Health Department (UCHD) is working to replace many septic systems in the county.
At its meeting Wednesday, the UCHD board of health approved funding for 11 projects to replace broken septic systems in the county using money from the 2017 Water Pollution Control Loan Fund. All of these projects total up to $209,116 in installations. The board had previously approved of the replacement projects at its October meeting.
UCHD Health Commissioner Jason Orcena said these 11 replacements are considered the first “critical” and “catastrophic” cases the department will prioritize fixing. Most of the projects will be fully paid by the EPA grant.
“These were all prioritized based on several factors, with need being one of them (and system failure),” Orcena said.
Orcena said the installations will occur on a “weather dependent” basis, as well as being up to the installer’s schedules. It also depends on whether the property owners have completed their paperwork in time for the EPA to approve.
In the meantime, he said the people in need of septic replacements have been operating with a faulty septic system or plugged-up leach field accordingly.
Jennifer Thrush, public information officer with the UCHD, said the department’s sanitarians advise homeowners with faulty septic systems to conserve water usage. She said this would prevent overloading the system.
“There are some things we can’t fix right away, and a lot of times these are financial constraints, so the homeowner can’t fix this tomorrow,” Thrush said. “In those instances, we talk to the homeowner and (help them) understand reducing their septic output.”
She said strategies like consolidating laundry wash sessions or not running multiple showers at the same time “can have a really big impact.”
Orcena said the Raymond and Peoria areas are not able to use this EPA grant funding for this septic system repair program. At the UCHD’s July meeting, the board approved a resolution to make the residents of Raymond and Peoria connect to a public septic system due to the unsanitary conditions caused by existing, failing private systems.
“The biggest issue with (Raymond and Peoria) is they’re under specific orders from the EPA to connect to a public system, so the board cannot intervene,” Orcena said. “The EPA would prohibit that.”
He said there is a law that trumps the board of health where a property is required to hook up to a public septic system if it exists. In that circumstance, the property would not be able to connect to its own private septic system.
Also at the meeting, the board agreed to discuss putting a renewal or replacement of its expiring levy on the November ballot at the February meeting.
Orcena said November is the board’s first chance to go onto the ballot for renewal or replacement. He said the board needs to make its decision early enough so it can follow up with the prosecutor’s office to get legal advice.
He said the decision to pass a resolution asking the commissioners to put the levy on the ballot should be made before May.