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MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH October 22, 2009 Board of Health Minutes Transcription completed by Anne Miles Cassell 4 October 22, 2009 Konsler stated that the situation has never arisen and he would seek an opinion from the County Attorney. Also, changes have been added requiring a “threadless” sampling tap at the well head for sampling purposes. The additional requirement that the sampling spigot must be smooth was added to assure that the sampling point can be properly disinfected. These rules have been advertised for public comment as required. Upon adoption of these rules, they will be come effective October 23, 2009. Motion to approve the Well Rule Revisions with an effective date of October 23, 2009 was made by Jim Stefanadis, seconded by DeWana Anderson, and carried without dissent. B. Roger’s Road Community Well and Septic Study Request The Board has been updated for the past two months on staff meetings with the Rogers Eubanks Neighborhood Association (RENA) regarding their concerns about the safety of well water supplies and septic systems in this neighborhood. Tom Konsler provided the Board with a Draft survey proposal in response to a community request for a survey and stated that it is still a work in progress. Staff has worked with the community and with UNC School of Public Health to organize a well and septic survey using collaborative survey teams. This should help offset the county staff resources that would otherwise be needed. Because only 36 homes have been identified by RENA that are on drinking water wells, cost estimates are lower than previously estimated. In accordance with the Board’s Policy 1.0 Requests for Environmental Services and Assessments, it appears that this request meets the criteria for county funding of the department operating expenses which are projected to be approximately $3,500. The time required for the survey is estimated at 330 staff hours at a cost of $14,000. Rosemary Summers stated that in the past when a similar study was done staff did the study and analysis and that without the study it is impossible for the Department to make an informed judgment of the community’s needs. Tony Whitaker asked for clarification on data management protocol. Mr. Konsler replied that if a significant number of systems are shown to be in need of repair a grant application could be filed to help funding of onsite repairs or sewer hookups. Christopher Cooke asked what the burden of responsibility would be on the county if the findings of a study were to find that the community had unsafe well water and septic systems. Steve Yuhasz wanted to know what percentage of the 85 homes would be needed to form a conclusion in a study. Michael Wood asked percentage of the homes in the study would indicate that the subdivision was not up to par. Staff responded that the analysis would be comparing the health of systems to a