Environment

Grant County residents and visitors expect the food we eat, the pools we swim in, the water we drink, and the things we throw away to be properly handled. Grant County Health District (GCHD) Environmental Public Health (EPH) helps maintain these expectations and reduce the risk to your health.

The highly skilled and professional EPH staff work in the field with businesses, individuals, agencies, and others through education, notification, inspections, and enforcement activities to ensure public health is protected. To prevent human exposure to illness-causing germs, chemicals, and other possible health threats, EPH includes a variety of programs. At Grant County Health District, EPH staff work in the following programs:

  • Drinking Water;
  • Food Safety;
  • Land Use proposal reviews for drinking water and wastewater disposal including subdivisions and other special projects;
  • On-Site Sewage (septic systems);
  • Pollution Prevention Assistance;
  • School Safety including reviewing new and remodeled K through 12 school facilities and playground inspections;
  • Solid Waste including permitted facilities and complaints; and
  • Water Recreation including public pools, water slides, hot tubs, and blue-green algae.

EPH staff also may assist with zoonotic disease (animal to human) surveillance and investigation, such as West Nile virus and rabies, and investigations and surveillance of other illnesses resulting from environmental exposure to germs or chemicals through consumption of contaminated water or food.

GCHD also partners with other environmental public health agencies, including the Washington State Department of Health (DOH), Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology), and Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA). These state agencies have their own Environmental Health Programs such as the Ecology Air Quality program, DOH Transient Accommodations program (hotel, motel inspection), and WSDA wholesale food inspection program.

If you have questions or concerns about the environmental health where you live, learn, work, or play, GCHD staff will be happy to speak with you. You can call our office at 509-766-7960, email your concern to us, or use the online complaint form. All complaints become public record and may be subject to disclosure.  Protected Health Information (PHI) will be protected following HIPAA requirements. Complaints can be filed anonymously, but if you do not leave your contact information, we will not be able to inform you of our actions or reach out to you for additional information.