CCDEH

Statement of Purpose: The purpose of local environmental health programs is to protect the health, safety and well-being of the public and to preserve and improve the quality of the environment.

Legal Jurisdiction: Legal authority for local environmental health programs are cited in the California Health and Safety Code, California Code of Regulations Titles 17 and 22, and local ordinances and regulations.

The nine primary local environmental health program elements include:

1. Food Safety: Retail and Consumer Protection provided in conjunction with State and federal inspection programs; Surveillance of a wide range of food establishments including restaurants, markets, mobile food units, farmers markets, dairy and milk products facilities, vending machines, etc.; and Food Facility Plan Check and Construction. Local environmental health agencies permit every regulated retail food facility statewide and conduct approximately 400,000 retail food facility inspections annually.

2. Housing: Housing code enforcement; Lead paint remediation; Employee Housing; Jail/Detention Facilities; Organized Camps; Mobile Home Parks; and Motels/Hotels. There are an estimated 200,000 inspections done on housing units each year.

3. Recreational Health: Lakes, Streams and Beaches; Public Swimming Pool/Spas; Public Pool Plan Check and Construction. Environmental health agencies are responsible for the safe construction and operation of all public bathing areas, including pools and spas in the state. Local environmental health agencies monitor coastal and freshwater bathing areas and post warnings or close polluted waters.

4. Water Quality: Regulation of Small Public Water Systems; Private Well Construction/Abandonment Permitting; Cross Connection Control Program; Water Haulers; Storm Water Pollution Prevention. To ensure safety of Small Public Water Systems, over 6.000 inspections are completed yearly.

5. Land Use: Land Development Regulation; Domestic Water Supply; Sewage and Solid Waste Disposal; Storm Water Drainage; Community Noise; Vector Control; Animal Confinement Facilities. Every year environmental health agencies and special vector districts conduct some 200,000 vector control inspections/actions in California.

6. Solid Waste: Local Enforcement Agency (LEA) authority; The 50 environmental health department LEAS inspect and enforce statewide regulations at landfills, transfer stations and other waste and recycling facilities.

7. Liquid Waste: On-Site Sewage Systems; Septage Haulers; Greywater Systems/Wastewater Reclamation. Much of this statewide effort ensures the safe construction and operation of on-site sewage systems.

8. Hazardous Materials / Waste: Certified Unified Program Agencies (CUPAs) regulate facilities with Hazardous Materials, Hazardous Wastes, Underground Tanks, and Aboveground Tanks. CUPAs also provide Emergency Response services, Household Hazardous Waste events, and Groundwater and Soil Cleanup. CUPAs directed over 35,000 hazardous material facility inspections. The amount budgeted for the entire Hazardous Materials and Waste Program was estimated at $16,000,000.00. Each year local environmental health agencies conduct over 15,000 household hazardous waste collection events. Each year, every underground storage tank in California is inspected by a local agency.

9. Medical Waste: Regulation of Large and Small Quantity generators including limited quantity haulers.