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Dear Visitor,
Welcome to the new
Charlotte County Health Department web site. It is designed with you in
mind so that you can easily and quickly locate the public health
information and services you want when you want it.
Our home page is
your gateway to public health in Charlotte County, Florida. We have laid
it out so that the information most frequently requested is immediately
available. This includes our
locations, our most frequently requested
services,
FAQs,
and public health news, events,
and information.
To make your
experience with us even better, we've created the
Expedite
button. Simply download the forms you need, fill them in, print them
out, and bring them in or mail* them to us. This will save
you time and money.
We also offer you a
convenient way to stay up-to-date on what your health department is
doing. By subscribing to our free
E-news, we will e-mail you
the latest news and services we offer, as well as receive tips on ways
to stay healthy. Just click on the
E-news
tab and fill in the information.
The above are just a
few of the many public health services we offer. Our
directory lists all of our services, plus much, much more. I
encourage you to surf our web pages to find valuable public health
information for you and your family.
As usual, we are
always interested in learning how your health department can better meet
your needs. When you have questions, concerns or suggestions about
public health issues, or if you want to tell us how well we are meeting
your needs, simply click the
Contact Us
button at the top right.
On behalf of all the
staff of the Charlotte County Health Department, we look forward to
serving you now and in the future.
Sincerely,
Steven Mitnick,
M.S., A.R.N.P., M.B.A.
Administrator
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Mailing of forms available to select services only. |
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Administrator's Blog |
| NEW! |
Petroleum Storage Tank Program
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Steven Mitnick,
M.S., A.R.N.P., M.B.A.
Administrator
Charlotte County Health Department
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Did you know that
the Charlotte County Health Department (CCHD) regulates gas
stations, and any other facility that has petroleum tanks
(above ground or below ground) that are greater than 550
gallons?
Now you may ask why?
The answer is because CCHD is entrusted to protect our
ground water, to make sure that it is safe for drinking and
other household uses. CCHD has a contract with the Florida
Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to inspect all
petroleum tanks annually and monitor wells throughout the
county for contamination. This inspection usually happens
in areas where petroleum tanks were once stored, or where
petroleum spills have occurred.
Recently, I had the pleasure to spend some time with the
Environmental Health Inspector David Pears who is
responsible for making sure that our ground water does not
become contaminated with petroleum products. During the
course of our time together, we visited one of the largest
gas stations in the county, where hundreds of thousands of
gallons of gasoline and diesel are stored. At this
facility, the front end serves cars and light trucks, and
the rear serves tractor trailers and other large vehicles.
Our inspector takes safety seriously. He first parked a
county vehicle in a strategic position as a physical barrier
so that if a driver was not paying attention while driving,
they would hit the vehicle instead of him. All you have to
do is stand there for a few minutes to see how some people
rapidly drive in, fuel up and leave. Once the vehicle was
secured and in place, we put on bright orange safety vests
and placed traffic cones out for added visibility and
safety. Then we began to inspect the facility.
Every component associated with fuel being pumped or stored
is inspected. David removes the lids, some weighing as much
as 200 pounds, and inspects underneath the ground for leaks.
He checks the integrity of the lining where the fuel nozzles
connect from the tanker trucks that pump fuel into
underground tanks. He also inspects the underground pumps,
which blend and transfer the fuel, and its containment area.
Lastly, David inspects the pumps, their containment area and
hoses that lead to the vehicles.
Our final onsite inspection was the review of paperwork to
make sure that the gas station was doing routine inspections
and correcting identified problems on their pumps. We then
spent time with the station manager going over the findings
in our report.
The entire process took over four hours to perform. David
was meticulous in the inspection, and professional to the
station staff and guests. Overall, the station got a good
rating in maintaining its equipment and preventing spills.
There was some fuel which had leaked into containment areas.
He noted that in his report and discussed this issue with
the manager, providing them with written and photographic
documentation. This was not a major issue, and the
containment areas did what they were meant to do, but he was
going to recommend that the station fix the leaks and pump
out the containment areas.
Feeling safe when we use our ground water is a good feeling,
and knowing that there is a program here in Charlotte County
that is working to keep our water safe is a great
feeling! Petroleum tank inspections… another way CCHD
assists in protecting the environment of Charlotte County
and your health.
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Past Blogs |
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The health department does what? I didn't know that! |
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Preserving Our Environment - Managed Septic Systems |
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Shortage
in Pediatric Health Care Services |
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Using Technology to Bring Public Health
Services Closer to the Customer |
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