35 search results

Private Water and Decentralized Wastewater Program Committee

MissionThe Private Water and Decentralized Wastewater Program Committee is a resource for environmental public health professionals, private well and septic system owners, and our leadership. The committee provides knowledge, expertise, and reso...

Saltwater Intrusion Resources

Saltwater intrusion refers to the movement of salt water into freshwater aquifers. This can degrade groundwater quality, contaminating sources used for drinking and crop irrigation. Extended droughts can push this saltwater-freshwater bounda...

Flooding and COVID-19

This resource is a dual disaster checklist that can be utilized to support the preparedness of local leaders and contains: Action steps to prepare Checklist for local leaders Recommended for environmental public health professionals, publi...

Winter Weather Guidance

This condensed brochure helps homeowners manage septic systems before, during, and after a winter weather event. This tool includes: Brochure Safety reminders Recommended steps for before, during, and after the winter season Recommended for...

Wildfire Guidance Condensed (Septic)

This resource provides emergency and maintenance guidance for homeowners if their septic system may be impacted by wildfire. It includes: Safety reminders Recommended steps to take to protect a homeowner’s health and their septic system ...

Wells - What to Do After a Flood

The document provides steps and precautions for protecting private wells following a flood. This guide includes information on: Well and pump inspection Emergency disinfection of wells that have been flooded Sampling and testing the well w...

EPA Water Photolog

This photolog documents the status of utility systems and facilities after a disaster event and provides a supplemental feature when reviewing reports and contains a report form. Recommended for environmental public health and public health pr...

Underground Water Tank Flood Guide

This document is a resource for underground storage tank (UST) owners and operators to help manage an UST before, during, and after a flooding event. The guide includes information on: Types of flooding Effects of flooding on UST systems Plan...

Power Outage - Septic

This brochure is a tool for homeowners that need to manage septic systems before, during, and after a power outage.Safety RemindersSuggestions for Before, During, and After a power outageRecommended for homeowners managing their septic systems.V...

Post-Fire Inspection Checklist for Retail Food Facilities

This checklist can be used by environmental health professionals to assess if a retail food facility can reopen safely after a fire in the facility. Disaster Report checklist for: Building structure Water Service Power Outage Equipment ...

Environmental Health Rapid Needs Assessment for Floods

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) works to improve the health and quality of life of their populations in the countries of the Americas. PAHO developed an Environmental Health Rapid Needs Assessment (ENRNA) tool as a basic operational ...

New Orleans Flood Resilience Experiment After Action Report

This after-action report (AAR) documents the New Orleans Flood Resilience Experiment. core objectives procedure results next step recommendations from observation and input from participantsRecommended for emergency environmental public hea...

Natural Hazards Center: Lessons on Concurrent Disasters

This academic report discusses the experiences from concurrent disasters, the network of communications between agencies, non-profits, and the community and covers: Concurrent Disasters COVID-19 and Hurricanes Emergency Shelter Netw...

EPA Natural Disaster Incident Report Form

This resource can be used to record water incidents occurring in public water supply sources and includes a: Checklist Damage Assessment Information Recommended for environmental public health professionals who are assessing the operational...

Inspector Checklist Sewage Backup

This checklist supports sewage backup response in a food establishment. Reopening procedures Recommended for environmental public health professionals working within disaster response and recovery. Download...

Inspector Checklist Boil Water Order

This checklist is for inspectors to use when evaluating if a food establishment may operate during a boil water order. Recommended for environmental public health and public health professionals working with food establishments to determine th...

Floods and the COVID-19 Pandemic – A New Double Hazard Problem

This article is a literature review that points out three items to consider, which are preparedness, resiliency, and systems engineering, and contains: Guidance on how to address threats. Assess Challenges between threat multipliers. Em...

Flooding Guidance Condensed

This guide provides support for individuals working and caring for septic systems after floods and includes: Guide Infographic Recommended for environmental public health professionals working with disaster and flood response. Download...

Retail Food Facility Checklist for Floods

This checklist can be used by environmental health professionals to assess if a retail food facility can reopen safely after a flood in the facility. Recommended for emergency environmental public health practitioners working at the s...

EPA WARN Water System Status Report

The Water and Wastewater Agency Response Network (WARN) is a mutual aid and assistance network comprised of drinking water and wastewater utilities that provides other utilities within a state a means to quickly obtain help in the form of person...

EPA Suggested Questions for Water and Wastewater Utilities

This checklist can assess damage to a water and wastewater system. Damage Assessment Form Recommended for environmental public health professionals who are performing assessments on water and wastewater facilities. Download...

Earthquake Guidance Condensed

This guide provides information on caring for septic systems after earthquakes. This tool includes: InfographicRecommended for disaster response professionals. Download...

Dual Disaster Handbook – Flooding

This is a comprehensive handbook to help local officials and emergency managers address dual disaster scenarios during the COVID-19 pandemic. This handbook contains: Recommendations for Local Leaders Flood Response During COVID-19 Checklis...

After-Action Report and Improvement Plan - North Central Region, Colorado Flood Preparedness Pilot

This document is a high-level look into the use of Tabletop Exercises and Stress Tests and the outcome of the National Flood Preparedness Guideline. This document includes: An After-Action Report Improvement Plans Recommended for emergency ...

City of Boulder 2013 Flood After-Action Report

This after-action report for the City of Boulder flooding in 2013 is a review and evaluation of actions taken for flood recovery. It provides: Best practices Lessons learnedRecommended for emergency environmental public health practitioners w...

After-Action Report: Ellicott City, Maryland Flood of 2016

This after-action report of the 2016 flooding in Ellicott City, MD explains how to preserve historical buildings. It provides various disaster response checklists for non-profits and local governments. This tool includes: Report Checklists...

April 2023

Journal of Environmental Health Volume 85, Number 8 View This IssueArticles Communicating Results of Drinking Water Tests From Private Wells: Designing Report-Back Materials to Facilitate UnderstandingDecreased Moderate to Vigorous Physical Acti...

Private Well Class

Homeowners in small communities and rural areas without a public water supply often lack an appropriate understanding of best practices for managing, operating, and protecting their private well. The Private Well Class online course is designed ...

Private Water Network

The Private Water Network (PWN) is a virtual community of professionals working to protect the public's health from contaminants in private drinking water sources. The PWN aims to be a one-stop-shop resource for peer learning and informatio...

Private Drinking Water

Nearly 15% of people living in the U.S. rely on private drinking water systems serving fewer than 25 people or have less than 15 connections. They are typically private wells but also include springs, cisterns, and hauled water systems. Test...

Policy Statements

One of our responsibilities is to speak up on issues of concern to our members and the profession through the adoption of policy statements. These statements have been vetted by our team and adopted by the Board of Directors as official statemen...

October 2015

Journal of Environmental Health Volume 78, No. 3 View the IssueAbout the Cover In this issue, two of our feature articles describe studies that investigated arsenic ingestion in the context of consumption patterns. “Arsenic Consumption in the Un...

May 2017

Journal of Environmental Health Volume 79, No. 9 View the IssueAbout the Cover This issue’s cover article, “Occupational Health Survey in Cosmetologists in Minnesota,” explores the occupational health and safety challenges faced by cosmetologist...

Flooding Preparedness Resources for Private Water Systems

These resources are meant to assist private well and septic system users before, during, and after a hurricane or mass flooding disaster.General Drinking Water ResourcesU.S. EPA Emergency Disinfection of Drinking WaterCDC: FAQs on When and How t...

Preparedness & Response for Septic Systems

After a disaster, such as a hurricane, wildfire, or earthquake, septic systems may be damaged and fail to operate correctly. Ensuring that these systems function properly is essential to providing safe waste disposal for millions of Americans, y...