National Public Health Week (April 3-9) is a time to highlight the importance of public health, promote better health practices among residents — and, of course, celebrate those who work so hard in the field. Staff all across DHEC work to preserve and improve public health. That includes those in our environmental and environmental health programs.

DHEC’s environmental and environmental health programs provide many services that enhance and protect public health. They ensure that the following — and so much more — meet state regulatory requirements: the pools we swim in, the restaurants we eat in, the shippers that handle our shellfish, the landfills we take our trash to, the underground storage tanks that store our gasoline, the wastewater plants that treat our sewage, the drinking water plants that treat our water, the facilities that hold air permits, and the facilities that generate hazardous waste.

With offices located across the state, we are able to provide exceptional customer service, accountability, efficiency and response to regulated entities, local governments and members of the community.  We issue permits, inspect, sample, monitor and analyze as well as investigate complaints. Our day-to-day duties include:

• Air quality monitoring, modeling and forecasting
• Industrial air emissions permitting and compliance
• Stormwater and wastewater permitting and compliance
• Asbestos awareness and compliance
• Dam safety
• Drinking water protection
• Hazardous, radioactive and infectious waste management
• Onsite wastewater permitting and licensing
• Rabies prevention
• Food protection
• Dairy and manufactured food protection
• Laboratory certification
• Lead risk assessment
• Oil, chemical and nuclear emergency response programs
• Air, water, wastewater, soil, fish, milk and dairy analysis
• Complaint investigation

Visit the DHEC website for more information on the agency’s observance of National Public Health Week. You can also go to the official National Public Health Week website.