BOH Final Minutes of April 28, 2021 with edit

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MINUTES - Draft ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH April 28, 2021 Below are some highlights of the study. • Brief background of the community ■ The community is located between two highways — US Route 70 & Interstate 40. ■ Most of the residential homes are lived in by people of color and are economically marginalized which may cause a potential issue for paying for Orange-Alamance sewer. ■ Most residents are on Orange-Alamance water but not given the opportunity to be on Orange-Alamance sewer. This disparity can present itself as a form of environmental injustice. ■ Other disparaging factors include: o There is poor soil quality that affects communities specifically below the railroad track. o The potential lack of education provided about properly abandoning well and managing septic systems for the low-income residents. • Some of the outcomes were to affect the needs for sewer service, to determine financial barriers related to access to food, to empower residents to maintain septic tanks, and to properly abandon wells. • The goals and objectives of the study ■ Determine need for sewer lines through community. o Create a logic model of the current sewage resources and barriers. o Review policies that contribute to environmental injustice. o Collect qualitative data from GCR septic tank-owners. ■ Identify wells that need to be properly abandoned. o Collect qualitative data from GCR properties. • Data Collection ■ Mr. Minta, with the assistance of an on-site water protection specialist, conducted door-to-door surveys in the GCR community with binary and open-ended questions. Property records were updated with information such as the current homeowner and the number of residents in the home. Any system conditions were also recorded. ■ Questionnaires were mailed to unavailable respondents. • Analysis ■ There were 18 residents that were contacted during the door-to-door survey. Of those residents: 0 13 of them expressed interest in municipal sewer service. o '/2 of them stated that there was an economic barrier. o There were a couple of residents who wanted to remain on their septic even if offered municipal sewer service from Orange-Alamance utility. 0 33% of those residents did not know the last time they pumped their tank. o There were a couple of wells improperly abandoned or not abandoned at all, even at residences that were connected to Orange-Alamance water. • Relevant Policies included: ■ Orange County Sewer Rate Structure (2016) $13.39 as base; 2,000-gallon minimum per month • Recommendations ■ Base rate of$13.12; 2,000-gallon minimum per month. ■ Collaborate with community organizations for education outreach. ■ Financial assistance disseminated to low-income stakeholders. • Outcomes of program strategies ■ Address improperly abandoned wells to reduce environmental health risks. S:\Managers Working Files\BOH\Agenda &Abstracts\2021 Agenda &Abstracts/ April Page 5