PHONE:  798-5064
FAX:  798-6486
HOURS:  8:30 am - 4:30 pm
AFTER HOURS EMERGENCY ONLY - 798-5064

Community Sanitation Program

Community sanitation core programs include children's camps, hotels and motels, proprietary campgrounds, swimming pools, bathing beaches, mobile home parks, food service establishments and childhood lead poisoning control.

In addition to routine inspection of facilities in the core programs, the division has continued to provide advice, consultation and education to county residents and visitors in areas such as individual household water systems, home sewage systems, indoor air, toxics, animal disease control (rabies control), lead poisoning control, citizens' requests, nuisance complaint investigations and the Healthy Neighborhoods Program which is a community outreach and service program.

Children's Camps

Children's camps are inspected for a variety of sanitary and safety factors.  In order to provide a safe environment for children who attend summer camps, major emphasis is placed on ensuring that each camp provides an adequate number of trained, qualified staff, and waterfront safety and supervision.

Attention is also focused on food service protection, adequate safe housing, proper sewage disposal, adequate garbage storage facilities, and safe, sanitary water supplies which meet State Sanitary Code standards.

Hotels and Motels

The Oneida County Health Department's Temporary Residence inspection program at hotels and motels emphasizes fire safety for the protection of the traveling public lodging at facilities in Oneida County.  An inspection at a hotel/motel is not limited to room cleanliness, but includes careful evaluation of the fire alarm, sprinkler, and extinguishing systems, fire prevention and confinement, safe and adequate egress, electrical safety and employee training in fire safety.  Food service, swimming pool and bathing beach operation and maintenance, on-site water supply and sewage facilities are also reviewed.

Mobile Home Parks

In order to protect the health and well being of their residents, mobile home parks are inspected for proper operation of on-site water systems, proper functioning of sewage disposal systems, garbage disposal methods and vermin control.  Additional aspects of inspection include proper park supervision, site sizing, provision of minimum separation distances to prevent fire spread, noxious weed control, maintenance of roadways and other utilities, such as electrical service connections and feeder assemblies, and fuel oil storage.

Swimming Pool / Bathing Beaches

The major focus of swimming pool inspections is on pool supervision, lifeguard requirements, lifesaving equipment and its use.  General pool safety provisions, chemical treatment, and the proper operation of filtration equipment and maintenance of such facilities are also closely examined.

Drownings at bathing facilities tragically do occur, however, drownings are preventable.  The Environmental Health Division continually stresses the importance of bather supervision and monitors lifeguard qualifications.  Since drownings occur within seconds, and drowning victims do not call for help, lifeguards must continually scan the bathing water in order to recognize a dangerous situation, distress of a drowning victim, thus preventing drownings from occurring.

Proprietary Campsites / State Parks

Environmental health inspections of campsites include reviewing the facility's campsites for proper site spacing, shower and sanitary facilities, food service protection, the quality and operation of on-site drinking water supplies and adequate sewage disposal systems.  Where bathing facilities are provided, emphasis is placed on waterfront supervision, designated swimming areas and safety equipment as is required by Part 6 (Swimming Pools and Bathing Beaches) of the State Sanitary Code.

Environmental Lead Poisoning Program

Eastern Equine Encephalitis Surveillance Program

A surveillance program to monitor for the presence of Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus (EEEV) is conducted each summer by the County Health Department.  Adult mosquitoes are collected and identified from several surveillance sites.  Mosquitoes, which are considered to be the primary vectors in the transmission of Eastern Equine Encephalitis, are then tested for EEE virus by the New York State Department of Health Arbovirus Laboratory.

West Nile Virus Monitoring Program

In August 1999, the news media began coverage of an emerging health threat previously unknown in the United States - the West Nile-like virus.  Within a short time, the New York State Department of Health determined that a serious public health threat was placing the residents of the New York City area at significant risk of illness or death.  At that time, little was known about the disease or the possibilities for rapid distribution throughout New York State and the northeast United States.

Although this virus seemed to be isolated to the downstate region, the Oneida County Health Department and other upstate health departments recognized the potential for migration of the disease throughout the state.

During the winter months of 1999-2000, the New York State Health Department, CDC, and local health departments, as well as several other agencies and organizations developed a West Nile Virus Response Plan that established a framework by which local health departments could respond appropriately to the presence of the disease.

Rabies Control Program

The department is responsible for monitoring animal bites and diseases that animals may transmit to humans.  Rabies, which is invariably fatal, is the most significant disease which can be transmitted to humans by animals.  In 1993, the mid-Atlantic raccoon epizootic, which had been moving northward through New York State, reached Oneida County.  The disease has spread into all Oneida County townships and has infected other animal species.

Nuisance Complaint Investigations

Public and private nuisances are investigated on a per complaint basis.  Complaints are received directly from individuals as well as indirectly via dwelling surveys conducted by staff of the Nursing and Childhood Lead Poisoning programs and other Oneida County agencies, such as Office for the Aging and Department of Social Services.  The complaints received include sometimes dangerous and unsafe conditions that may adversely effect public and private health.  These complaints often refer to conditions at vacant and/or fire damaged/destroyed structures plagued with accumulations of garbage, insect and rodent infestations and noxious weeds.  However, they also refer to similar conditions in occupied homes.

Dwelling surveys are performed to observe basic living environments in occupied dwellings.  Observations include but are not limited to plumbing, electrical wiring, heat, insect and rodent infestations, smoke detectors and disposal of garbage and recyclables.  Observations that indicate the need for further intervention are referred to codes enforcement personnel.

This department coordinates efforts with local agencies including, but not limited to, local municipality and county-wide departments of codes enforcement, engineering, public works, and waste management, Oneida County Department of Social Services, Utica City Corporation Council, as well as non-profit agencies such as Utica Community Action, Inc., Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency and Cornhill People United.  Authority for these investigations and subsequent notice and demand orders and compliance schedules is expressed in Article 13 of the Public Health Law, and Title X, Part 8 (Nuisances).  Title IX, NYCRR (New York State Fire Prevention and Building Code) provides minimum standards and generally accepted practices for housing and building construction.  This department orders owners and/or tenants of these properties to abate the nuisance conditions, and makes referrals to appropriate agencies.

Food Protection

Food safety and good sanitary practices continue to be the focal point for all food service inspections.  Cross contamination from raw food, unnecessary manual handling of all foods by food handlers and improper holding temperatures continue to be the major sources of foodborne illness throughout the state.

In 2000, we investigated 1 outbreak of food-related illness.  We can credit this low number of outbreaks to 1) quality inspectors; 2) prevention via 18 educational seminars and on-site training sessions; 3) using published inspection reports as educational tools; 4) unannounced inspections; 5) the 2000 enforcement actions.  Food inspections cover a wide range of food operations.  Each inspector must be trained to deal with each situation as it arises and they must be prepared to handle the worst case scenario.

A high risk establishment is one which serves potentially hazardous foods that require a great deal of on-site processing, including manual handling, cooling, reheating, advance preparation and holding for service.

A medium risk establishment is one that serves potentially hazardous foods but has a rapid turnover between preparation and service.  Also included are those establishments with private water supplies, even though they may not serve potentially hazardous food.

A low risk establishment is one that serves no potentially hazardous food.

The inspection frequency of a facility is determined by its risk category.  A high risk establishment is required to be inspected once a year, but State and Federal guidelines recommend twice per year, a medium risk once a year, and a low risk every other year.

Adolescent Tobacco

In July of 1992, the New York State Legislature passed the Adolescent Tobacco Use Prevention Act (ATUPA) establishing penalties for selling tobacco products to minors, restricting youth access to vending machines, and creating an enforcement mechanism managed by county health agencies.  In February of 1997 based on new FDA regulations, it became a federal violation for any retailer to sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of 18 years old.  To further prevent sales of these products to anyone under the age of 18 who may look older than their age, retailers must verify the age of any buyer under the age of 27 years old, by checking photo I.D. showing the birth date of the card holder.

The counties responsible for enforcement of ATUPA will be expected to:

1.  establish and maintain an up-to-date list of licensed and registered tobacco retailers and vendors in addition to locations of cigarette vending machines within their jurisdiction;

2.  complete at least one compliance check at all retail tobacco vendors in the enforcement officers jurisdiction during the 12 month period;

3.  identify and report unlicensed vendors to the Center for Environmental Health of the New York State Health Department.  The Center will then communicate this information to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance which is responsible for the licensing of tobacco vendors in the State;

4.  implement enforcement actions for vendors and owners of vending machines who fail compliance checks.

Public Water Supply

The Environmental Health public water supply division is responsible for the oversight of 198 public water supplies in Oneida County ranging from the rural tavern to the Upper Mohawk Valley Regional Water Board.  Public water supplies serve approximately 2/3 of the county residents.