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John Link said that they have tried to come up with a definition to describe an adverse public <br />health condition that would be functional and something that could be used when situations arise. <br />Ron Holdway, Director of Environmental Health, gave background information as stated in attachment 2. <br />He said that they were looking for something that would be definable. He said that there are three basic <br />criteria for failing wastewater systems that must be met to be defined as an adverse public health condition: <br />(1) The wastewater system would have to be failing and be documented by his department, (2) there would <br />have to be no onsite repair possible or (3) repair would not be recommended. For wells, the criteria would <br />basically be a well that was contaminated with a chemical that would be dangerous or threatening to human <br />health, no repair to work on the well, water not be treatable prior to withdrawal and also there would be no <br />alternate site for a new well. <br />Geof Gledhill said that the Water and Sewer Boundary Task Force appointed a committee to <br />look at the adverse public health issue. Staff from the County and the local governments have been <br />working with this task force. The adverse public health issue fits in with the work of this Task Force <br />because the boundary agreement creates service areas and the definition deals with emergencies in areas <br />outside the service areas for water and sewer. Outside of the service area, generally the rule is going to be <br />that you don't extend public water and sewer. They need to find a way to deal with conditions that are not <br />immediately solvable by a new septic tank or new well. The Task Force has come up with calling these <br />situations "adverse public health conditions". The plan is that if a condition is determined to be an adverse <br />public health condition that the health department will come up with a way to fix the condition if possible <br />and at that point it will become a governmental decision and if it is in the Joint Planning Area it would <br />become a joint governmental decision as to how the emergency will be addressed. <br />Commissioner Gordon spoke as a member of the Water and Sewer Boundary Task Force. She <br />said that the combination of having a new definition and a set of remedies and having the Health <br />Department have this pivotal role to determine the situation and make a recommendation to the <br />governmental board who would make the final decision is a good way to approach this issue. She hopes <br />this agreement will be ready by Spring. <br />Peter Gordon said that the OWASA Board has not discussed this issue. However, when they <br />do have a request for water and sewer they would take this definition into consideration. He feels that this <br />clarifies for them what the County is trying to accomplish. <br />Dan VanderMeer agreed with what Peter Gordon said. He congratulated the County on what <br />they are trying to do. Also, it sounds like the elected officials are taking the responsibility for making the <br />final decision. After a career of 35 years in public health, he cautions the County that they are taking on a <br />huge responsibility because it will be very difficult to make the final call. Anew definition is moving in the <br />right direction. He offered to help the committee in any way possible. <br />Commissioner Crowther asked how the role of decision making would come back to the Board <br />of County Commissioners and Geoffrey Gledhill said that in situations where the public health problem is <br />in interest areas, the remedy would come back to the Board of County Commissioners. There is a range of <br />options or possible remedies that would be available. If the remedy is public sewer, an agreement would <br />