We approve and permit any new private sewage systems and water wells installed in the county. If you are going to install or repair any private sewage system or private water well, or sealing any old water wells, please contact this office. We will give you a planning guide and permit application. A homeowner may install his own system, if the home is his primary residence. Please contact us prior to installation. We will gladly provide you with pipe size and type, as well as proper distances components have to be from the house, property line, etc. The system has to be permitted and inspected by this office. If you are going to have a contractor install the system (which we highly recommend), that contractor must be an Illinois licensed private sewage installer. Contacting this office prior to installing a sewage system or water well or sealing an existing well may save you money and headaches later. We do not inspect, test or do anything with city sewer or city water. If you are having trouble with city water or sewer, contact your water or sewer provider. If they do not address your problem, contact the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency at http://www.epa.state.il.us/water/
We also inspect body art establishments. Before you open a body art (tattoo and/or piercing) establishment you need to contact Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Division of Food, Drugs and Dairies at 217-785-2439. IDPH will then notify us and we will do the inspections for IDPH.
During the summer months, we treat standing water for mosquito larvae. We do not spray for adult mosquitoes. We also trap adult female mosquitoes and test them for West Nile Virus. We would like the public to notify us if they find a dead bird, so we can have the bird tested for West Nile Virus. The birds need to be dead for less than 24 hours, with no signs of decay. We cannot test birds that have been killed by animals, shot or show signs of trauma as the cause of death. Birds that die of West Nile Virus are usually found alone, not in groups of several birds together.