About The Environmental Health Department

The Environmental Health Department educates the public and enforces federal, state and local statutes covering Consumer Health, Cannabis Management Services, Drinking Water, Land Use, Hazardous Materials, Recycling and Resources Recovery, and Solid Waste Management.

Our Departments

Hazardous Materials Management

Hazardous Materials Management Services is responsible for inspecting facilities in the County to verify proper storage, handling and disposal of hazardous materials and hazardous wastes.

Consumer Health Protection

Consumer Health Protection Services is responsible for retail food protection and cottage food operations regulation, rental housing complaints, beach water quality monitoring, public swimming pools and spas inspection, vector control, agricultural field toilet inspections, tobacco licensing inspections, the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, and other general health protection activities.

Recycling Resource & Recovery Services

Recycling Resource & Recovery Services is responsible for the protection of public health and safety by reducing the amount of solid waste that goes to local landfills.

Land Use (OWTS)

Land Use (also referred to as Health Department – Land Use, or HDLU) serves as the liaison between the Environmental Health Bureau (Bureau) and Housing and Community Development (HCD) and is responsible for review of development projects and building permits to ensure conformance with regulations where the Bureau is the oversight agency. Additionally, this program reviews, inspects, and approves Onsite Wastewater Treatment System (OWTS or septic system permit applications) and oversees quarterly monitoring of effluent produced by sewage treatment and wastewater reclamation facilities.

Drinking Water Protection Services

Drinking Water Protection Services regulates domestic water systems that serve 2-199 connections or systems that serve at least 25 people at least 60 days a year. DWPS provides assistance to non-State regulated public and private potable water distribution systems to comply with local, State and Federal regulations, and to resolve water quality and quantity issues; permits all water well construction, repair and destruction activities in the County; operates a cross-connection control program and a water reuse program; and permits and inspects desalination treatment facilities. DWPS also regulates all well construction in Monterey County.

Solid Waste Management Services

Solid Waste Management Services is designated as the Local Enforcement Agency (LEA) in Monterey County and is responsible for permitting, ensuring compliance with regulations, and inspecting facilities that handle solid waste, such as open and closed landfills, transfer stations, and compost facilities.

Awards & Recognition

The Environmental Health Department has been the recipient of several awards,  including the 2014 Excellence in Environmental Health Award. Click here to learn more.

The Environmental Health Department also recognizes one of its own staff members every year with the Hoffman Award. The Hoffman Award recognizes individuals who have gone above and beyond in providing outstanding customer service.  Click here to see this year's nominees and winner.

Our MEPHLI Program

The Monterey County Environmental Public Health Leadership Institute (MEPHLI) is a fourteen month leadership academy designed to mirror the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Environmental Public Health Leadership Institute (EPHLI) program. MEPHLI achieves the vision of John Ramirez, Director of the Health Department's Environmental Health Bureau and Ric Encarnacion, Assistant Director, to bring to the county a local version of the CDC's Leadership Academy. Ramirez and Encarnacion are EPHLI graduates and wanted to offer the leadership development opportunities to all staff.

"MEPHLI is a yearlong program intended to develop personal as well as job related leadership skills to all staff in our bureau. Our goal is to develop a learning organization that will benefit staff, our bureau and the health department" stated Ramirez.

To learn more about the program or its cohorts, click here