Provides information about public water systems, food safety at food establishments, public pool/spa inspections and permits, complaints about environmental health and safety in schools.

Environmental Health Services offered by Cowlitz County Health and Human Services

Provides information about public water systems, food safety at food establishments, public pool and spa inspections and permits, complaints about environmental health, and safety in schools.

Programs that enforce food handling and dispensing laws and regulations by regularly inspecting restaurants, food stands, mobile food vehicles and carts (e.g., lunch trucks, ice cream trucks, produce carts), summer food service sites, congregate meal sites, employee on-site feeding operations, catering services, food sampling booths, wholesale food processing and manufacturing plants, markets, bakeries and food vending machines for health hazards; consulting with food facilities regarding improved food handling practices; and issuing citations and fines to establishments that have failed to comply with prescribed health practices and regulations. The program also provides information about requirements for retail food establishments, restaurant ratings and a list of establishments that have been closed because of health violations.

Restaurant/Food Sanitation

Programs that provide a hotline, website or other mechanisms that the public can use to anonymously report information about the activities of people who are disposing of hazardous materials, trash or other items in places other than those legitimately set aside for this purpose.

Illegal Dumping Reporting

Programs that conduct regular health inspections of facilities that are open to the public and look for accumulations of dirt, dust, mold or trash; broken steps, uneven flooring or other obstructions to safe access; unsanitary kitchen facilities; defective heating, lighting or ventilation; lack of hot water in laundry and/or lavatory facilities and other unsafe or unsanitary conditions. The types of facilities that are subject to inspection vary from state to state, and may include public, private and parochial schools; homeless shelters; domestic violence shelters; hotels; motels; boarding homes; child care facilities; foster homes; adult and juvenile detention facilities; other transient housing facilities and institutions; theaters; arenas; and other places of public assembly.

Public Facility Health Inspection

Programs that issue permits for the operation of junkyards, container storage lots, scrap metal processing facilities, recycling facilities, composting facilities, chipping and grinding operations, sanitary landfills and other similar establishments that comply with local regulations regarding their location and rules for screening them from public view.

Junkyard/Solid Waste Facility Permits

Programs that establish minimum standards for surface and ground water quality and develop and enforce regulations to prevent or reduce water pollution and assure a reliable supply of healthy drinking water and water that is suitable for other purposes. Water quality assurance programs issue permits specifying the types and amounts of pollutants that may be discharged without violating water quality standards; identify and monitor land uses and activities such as manufacturing or farming that are potential sources of pollution; test, record and report on the quality of water in lakes, rivers, streams, underground aquifers and water supply wells upon which public water systems rely; monitor water treatment and distribution systems; issue warnings and investigate hazards related to contamination; and, when warranted, initiate litigation against individuals and organizations who have failed to comply with water pollution control regulations. These programs may also provide support for the development and oversight of wastewater treatment facilities and certify operators of those facilities. Water quality is generally defined in terms of its designated use, e.g., for drinking, swimming, farming, fish production or industrial processes.

Water Quality Assurance

Programs that are responsible for inspecting public and semi-public swimming pools and spas to ensure that health and safety standards are being met in areas such as treatment and management, general sanitation and safety practices. These programs may also respond to complaints about stagnant or unsecured private pools or spas.

Pool Sanitation

Regulates on-site sewage systems, solid waste facilities, illegal solid waste disposal, RV parks, individual water wells, and licensed septic professionals.

Environmental Health Unit offered by Cowlitz County Health and Human Services at Kelso Office

Programs that issue permits which provide written authorization for the construction, deepening, repair, replacement or abandonment of water wells.

Water Well Construction/Maintenance/Abandonment Permits

Programs that answer specific questions and/or publish information about local building codes and the impact they have on the activities of residents. Questions may deal with the construction, repair, demolition, removal or relocation of buildings or structures as well as the installation, alteration, repair, use and operation of heating, plumbing, lighting, ventilating, refrigerating, electrical and mechanical appliances and equipment within those structures.

Building Code Information

Programs that issue permits which provide written authorization for the installation, repair or abandonment of on-site wastewater disposal (septic) systems.

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Environmental Health Services offered by Cowlitz County Health and Human Services

Environmental Health Unit offered by Cowlitz County Health and Human Services at Kelso Office