Division of Environmental Health (DEH)
About
Division of Environmental Health (DEH) currently has oversight of ~4000 permitted facilities which include 3,500 food service establishments and 380 other commercial establishments (which is a 4 percent increase from the year before). DEH conducted approximately 15,000 inspections, complaint responses or service requests last year. All food inspections were completed according to regulatory mandates and approximately 98 percent of food establishments were found to be in compliance with control measures that reduce the occurrence of food-borne illness. DEH will continue to identify risk factors that could lead to disease in regulated establishments and educate employees on public health interventions that contribute to a healthy and safe community.
DEH also focuses on onsite sewage and disposal systems and private well water supplies to ensure they are constructed, operated and maintained in a manner that protects public health. Eighty-nine (89.3) percent of sewage disposal system violations were corrected and inspected by staff within 30 days. Further, the percentage of well water system deficiencies corrected and inspected within 60 days was 77.4 percent. All new construction for commercial and residential properties without access to public sewer and existing malfunctioning systems require a site soil evaluation by DEH staff. DEH conducted 156 soil evaluations in the last year. Once approved, a conventional or alternative sewage disposal system can be designed for property development. Alternative Onsite Sewage Systems (AOSS) regulations require design by Professional Engineers. DEH reviews these designs and inspects the installations. Over half of all new sewage disposal systems approved were alternative designs. Owners of alternative systems are required to submit an annual inspection report to the Virginia Department of Health.
The water recreation facilities program has regulatory oversight of approximately 1,500 pools, spas, interactive water features, and water parks.
The Division of Environmental Health also focuses on vector-borne disease surveillance and community education. Surveillance activities include routine collecting and testing of mosquitoes and ticks for the causative agents of West Nile virus (WNV), Lyme disease and other vector-borne diseases. Mosquitoes are currently collected at 68 sites in the County on a weekly basis from late April through mid-October with additional traps set in response to program needs. Last year, 3,329 mosquito traps were set. The program works collaboratively with the Department\’s Communicable Disease and Epidemiology unit that investigates human cases of WNV reported by the Virginia Department of Health. There were on average one to three confirmed human cases (per year) of WNV in the County. Robust outreach and education efforts are used to help raise awareness of vector-borne diseases in the community. Storm drain treatments and other mosquito larvicide treatments are also carried out. Larval mosquito surveillance and control efforts help protect public health by identifying aquatic habitats that support the development of mosquitoes and, when indicated, treating those habitats with a larvicide that kills mosquito larvae. Approximately 36,500 storm drains are treated with a larvicide during three separate six-week cycles from May through October, for a total of approximately 109,500 storm drain treatments. Weather conditions are the principal factors that determine the number of storm drains that will be treated, as well as the percent of storm drains treated within the scheduled timeframe, during a given year.
Keywords: Restaurant, Food Truck, Food Service, On-site septic, Health Department
Services Provided
Economic and Site Development
- Environmental Compliance
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Starting a Business
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Technical Assistance / Support Services
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Training
- Hazardous Waste Generation Avoidance Training
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Pieter A. Sheehan
10777 Main Street
Suite 100
Fairfax, VA 22030
(703) 246-8470
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