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Environmental health director: county piloting virtual septic inspections, PFAS testing ongoing
Summary
Elizabeth Townsend said the environmental health office has brought in nearly $40,000 in permit revenue year-to-date, has begun a DNR-approved pilot using TruePic for virtual septic inspections and has completed three PFAS tests that came back negative; she also flagged an open PFOS grant opportunity for private wells.
Elizabeth Townsend, Jackson County environmental health director, told supervisors the department has generated “close to $40,000” in permit revenue so far this fiscal year and is piloting a DNR-approved virtual septic inspection program using TruePic. “The DNR had said that they would like for us to kind of act as a pilot for the state of Iowa,” Townsend said, explaining the county will trial the system for one to two years and the state may expand it afterward.
Townsend said the new soil-evaluation equipment and the virtual-inspection workflow have reduced field time and that staff sent two virtual inspections to contractors as part of the pilot. She also described the county's PFAS/PFOS testing: “I've done 3 PFAS tests in the county… and they all came back negative,” she said, and noted the DNR has discussed a grant that could reimburse eligible private-well owners for treatment systems such as reverse-osmosis units (Townsend said those systems typically cost about $2,000). Townsend said she will provide more information as the DNR clarifies eligibility and funding sources.
