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Environmental Services

Part of prevention is ensuring our environment is safe for everyone to live, work, study and play in. That’s why we also offer environmental services to the Pennyrile region. It’s another step in preventing disease or the spread of disease in our community.  

Whether there’s an environmental crisis or a communicable disease threat, we are equipped to contain the situation and support the community in crisis. But, not only that, we have the resources to help you stay prepared too.

If you have questions or need to schedule a site check, call one of our environmentalists:

Caldwell County

Crittenden County

Livingston County

Lyon County

Trigg County

Here are the resources and programs we offer those in Lyon, Livingston, Caldwell, Crittenden and Trigg counties in Kentucky.

72 On You – Emergency Preparation

For the first 72 hours after a disaster or crisis, you can expect to be on your own. Sound scary? It can be if you’re not prepared. As emergency services work to get resources to the area, remember they’ll most likely seek to help the more vulnerable populations first, such as the elderly, hospitalized and children. You need to be able to take care of your family for the first 72 hours without power, access to heat or possibly even water. Let’s start building your plan!

Community Health Tracking

Daily, we have an epidemiologist who reports on conditions and tracks communicable diseases that could pose a threat to the community’s overall health and wellbeing.

It was a Friday afternoon when they got the call. A child had tested positive for a communicable disease and they had previously been at daycare. When situations like this happen, our department goes into immediate action. We are looking for ways to prevent and track the spread of the disease. We walked the daycare through information to help other children from getting sick. Then we continued to monitor the child’s sickness and also any other reports coming in. This is just one example of how tracking the community’s overall health helps prevent threatening situations from occurring or escalating.

Facility Inspections

We have environmentalists who do routine checks of food service establishments and public facilities that could pose a threat to public health. This includes establishments such as restaurants, grocery stores, swimming areas, hotels, vending machines and more. These inspections are done without notification to the facility. 

If you plan on opening a new facility you’ll need to submit plans to be approved by your local health environmentalist. We have more resources and documents for food service establishments and public facilities here.

Onsite Sewage Program

Before a facility is built, if it will not tie into a sewage system, the site must be evaluated by the health department. Also, all sewage disposal systems with a subsurface discharge must be inspected by the health department. Download forms and read more about the requirements of your sewage system.

Septic Tank Cleaning

Septic tank cleaning vehicles and septic disposal sites are inspected annually for compliance with health regulations. Compliance with public health regulations ensures proper safety and sanitation requirements are being met. You can read about those requirements from this legislation (Part 1Part 2Part 3Part 4). 

Radon Program

Radon is a radioactive gas that comes from the natural decay of uranium and is found in nearly all soils. Radon gas moves through the soil into the air and can become trapped in homes and structures. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer. The health department provides radon test kits free of charge to residents of the pennyrile district. Also, we can provide you with more information about how to reduce radon levels in your home or building. Read more about it here.

Rabies Quarantine

We investigate all reported instances of possible human exposure to the rabies virus by an animal bite. We work with local hospitals, veterinarians, and other health care providers to perform our quarantine process. The quarantine includes confining the animal to observe for clinical signs of rabies, which lasts a period of ten days starting on the day of the bite. If the animal in question remains healthy throughout the confinement period it is considered healthy and no further action is necessary. Please call us immediately if you believe you or someone you know has been exposed to the rabies virus. You can fill out this form and either deliver or fax this to us.

Nuisance Control

Your local health department occasionally receives nuisance complaints concerning household garbage, surfacing sewage or other public health issues. Maintaining strict confidentiality, each complaint is investigated and, if required, efforts are made to resolve the issue with the offending party. If resolution cannot be obtained through the health department further action can be taken through the local county attorney.

Water Testing Services

If you would like your water tested, this service is available through the health department upon request. Water samples are sent to a certified state laboratory for testing for the presence of contaminants such as E Coli and Coliform bacteria. Water samples are $50.00. To schedule a water test please contact us.

Other Resources:

What you need to know about mold and how to remove it from your home. Read more.

You may contact your local health department to be added to the mosquito spray list. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture provides this service for Caldwell, Crittenden, Livingston and Lyon Counties. Trigg County provides their own service.

What you need to know about childhood lead poisoning, and steps to take if your home was built before 1978. Read more.

Understanding how this infection can occur and what it looks like. Read more.

Bed Bugs have become a bigger issue in the US in recent years. We give you tips on how to prevent and manage a bed bug infestation. Read more. Also, the University of Kentucky offers more information about how to prepare for treatment and the signs of bed bugs in your home. Read more here.

Learning about different diseases and the symptoms to look for if you frequent the outdoors. Read more here. 

If you’re in an emergency and need to purify your own water at home, here are proper instructions to follow. Get instructions.

If you have a private well on your property, here is a chart to help you know how to properly disinfect the well. If you are needing your well water for a home dialysis treatment, you need to make sure your well water is safe to use by performing bacteriological, and possibly chemical and radiological testing approved by the state drinking water authorities. Read more here.