The Environmental Public Health Division's mission is the prevention and control of environmentally related injuries and communicable diseases through the minimization of exposure to environmental health and safety hazards.
Program Overview
The Environmental Public Health Division is in the Public Health and Preparedness Commission, Indiana Department of Health. The Environmental Public Health Division inspects and licenses mobile home parks and agricultural labor camps. They also inspect campgrounds, youth camps, and schools. The staff consults and provides technical assistance to local health departments on a variety of environmental health issues, including swimming pool sanitation. And they assist county sheriffs with licensing pursuant to the Mass Gathering Licensing Law, IC 16-41-22.
The Environmental Health Division also includes the onsite sewage program and the water fluoridation program. The onsite sewage program sets minimum State-wide standards for residential onsite sewage disposal systems. The staff also conducts workshops and seminars on soil analysis and residential sewage disposal, and provides consultation and technical assistance to local health departments on the operation of their sewage disposal programs. The onsite sewage program also reviews and approves plans and specifications for commercial onsite sewage disposal systems.
When tornadoes, flooding or other disaster strikes a community, Environmental Public Health staff provides direct assistance to local health departments upon request. We disseminate information about the disinfection of wells and drinking water, and how to handle food, furniture, etc., that has been inundated during flooding. Our engineers also cooperate with State and federal emergency management agencies to assess the cost of repairs to any public works that might qualify for federal disaster assistance.
Employment Opportunities
Learn more about Employment Opportunities with the Indiana Department of Health.
Announcements / Current News
Lead in Private Drinking Water Wells
Testing Your Private Well
- Knowing your water is safe for the whole family is as simple as 1-2-3. An IDOH brochure on private well testing.
EPA's Climate Change Basic Information Page
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has posted four two-page fact sheets on climate change based on recent scientific findings and released a new report entitled Climate Change Indicators in the United States. The two page facts sheets may be useful to state and local governments looking for public outreach materials on climate change. The four new fact sheets are (1) Climate Change Science Facts, (2) Climate Change and Ecosystems, (3) Climate Change and Health Effects, and (4) Climate Change and Society. The Climate Change Indictors in the United States report will help readers interpret a set of important indicators to better understand climate change. Both the new fact sheets and report are available on EPA's website. The four new fact sheets and the climate change indicators report, as well as other resources, are available on https://www.epa.gov/climatechange/climate-change-basic-information
