Whether you're looking for advice on opening a new restaurant or you want to know how to keep your home safe from radon, the our Consumer Protection & Environmental Health team can help.
We are committed to helping local businesses offer safe retail food services in our communities. Health inspections are an important part of keeping our community safe. The health inspector serving both Hinsdale and Mineral County is Jodi Linsey. Jodi can be reached via phone on 970-944-0321 or via email on jodi@silverthreadphd.org
Wholesale food manufacturers, manufacture, produce, pack, process, treat, package, transport or store human food including dietary supplements. For example, the prepackaged food on the shelves of grocery or convenient stores are considered "wholesale foods".
The Cottage Foods Act allows limited types of food products that are non-potentially hazardous (do not require refrigeration for safety) to be sold directly to consumers without licensing or inspection. Below are links and resources to support your cottage food business.
Air quality has one of the most significant public health impacts on our communities. Especially during fire season, monitoring the local air quality and taking appropriate precautions is strongly recommended. Below are a number of resources that may be helpful in maintaining access to healthy air & understanding air pollution regulations. For live updates on air quality, visit CDPHE's interactive map.
If you'd like to get your drinking water tested, below are some resources for water testing for homeowners in the STPHD:
Tierra del Sol Industrial Park
2329 Lava Lane
Alamosa, CO 81101
Private well water quality is not regulated, so providing safe drinking water from a private well is the responsibility of the well owner.
For information on installing a well, how to protect your water supply from contaminants, and water testing, visit the following resources.
Here is a great resource for learning more about water quality in Colorado.
On-site wastewater treatment systems (OWTS), also known as septic systems, are governed by Colorado State Regulation 43, which can be found here.
Each local public health agency in Colorado has adopted their own regulations that are at least as stringent as Regulation 43. These local regulations take into consideration local environmental factors and influences. For documents for the Nov. 4th 2021 hearing on amendments to OWTS Local Regulations click here.
The Onsite Wastewater Treatment System program operates through each county building or land use planning department. For more information on how to apply for a permit, check a system, or general questions on the rules and regulations for our counties, please check with your county's contact listed below:
*For Installers/Cleaners
All contractors are required to have a local permit for OWTS installation and system cleaning. This local permit will cost $25.00 and must be renewed annually. If you hold current NAWT certification, you will not be required to take any additional tests. If you do not have current NAWT certification, you will be required to take an open book test on local Regulation 43.
Every year over 20,000 people die in the U.S. from lung cancer caused by radon.
Radon is a naturally occurring invisible, odorless gas that can enter any home through cracks and gaps in the foundation. Radon decays into radioactive particles that, when inhaled, can damage the DNA in sensitive lung cells. The damaged cells can then become cancerous.
Colorado has some of the highest incidences of radon in the United States, with more than 50% of homes registering high radon levels.
Living in a home with average levels of radon (6.4pCi/L) for one year is like having 200 chest x-rays every year.
Testing for radon is easy - simply contact the Hinsdale County Building Official to ask about borrowing a Continuous Radon Monitor at 970.944.2225.
*The Radon Detector is only available to Hinsdale County residents.
If you do have high levels of radon in your home, fixing the problem is easy and inexpensive.
Tire recycling, or rubber recycling, is the process of recycling waste tires that are no longer suitable for use on vehicles due to wear or irreparable damage. These tires are a challenging source of waste, due to the large volume produced, the durability of the tires, and the components in the tire that are ecologically problematic.
Because tires are highly durable and non-biodegradable, they can consume valued space in landfills. If waste tires are improperly managed they may cause rubber pollution. In 1990, it was estimated that over 1 billion scrap tires were in stockpiles in the United States. As of 2015, only 67 million tires remain in stockpiles. From 1994 to 2010, the European Union increased the amount of tires recycled from 25% of annual discards to nearly 95%, with roughly half of the end-of-life tires used for energy, mostly in cement manufacturing.
In 2017, 13% of U.S. tires removed from their primary use were sold in the used tire market. Of the tires that were scrapped, 43% were burnt as tire-derived fuel, with cement manufacturing the largest user, another 25% were used to make ground rubber, 8% were used in civil engineering projects, 17% were disposed of in landfills and 8% had other uses. (Excerpted from Wikipedia)
We hope the resources below will help you find a home for your used tires.
Get in touch with Hinsdale and Mineral County's dedicated Environmental Health Specialist