Mendocino County Environmental Health

Environmental Health will be closing on Wednesday, November 25th at 12pm and will re-open on Monday, November 30th at 8am in observance of Thanksgiving. We wish you all a happy and safe Thanksgiving!Environmental Health will be closing on Wednesday, November 25th at 12pm and will re-open on Monday, November 30th at 8am in observance of Thanksgiving. We wish you all a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

A quarantine is hereby established on all species of mussels taken by recreational sport harvesters from the ocean shore of California. The quarantine order extends from the Oregon border south to the Mexican border. DO NOT EAT MUSSELS HARVESTED IN VIOLATION OF THIS QUARANTINE. During the quarantine season, mussels may concentrate naturally occurring toxins that are highly poisonous to humans. Please see attached flyers from the California Department of Public Health for more information.

DANGER ADVISORY for Algal blooms in the Navarro River Lagoon The California State Waterboards is reminding people of the potential for harmful algal blooms in advance of the Labor Day weekend. One Mendocino County location has already tested in the DANGER range based on cyanotoxin testing results. Harmful algal blooms can be identified, typically, by their green, streaky appearance in water, but sometimes can appear as other colors. The blooms contain cyanotoxins that can t...rigger health concerns for people, including irritation to the respiratory system, skin, eye, and throat discomfort, vomiting, and gastrointestinal distress. Health concerns in animals, particularly dogs, includes vomiting, difficulty breathing, seizures, and sometimes death. Dogs and children are particularly vulnerable because they are more likely to swallow water when swimming or playing Interactive Map https://mywaterquality.ca.gov//where/freshwater_events.html Frequently Asked Questions https://mywaterquality.ca.gov//res/faqs_for_hab_signs.html Complete Press Release https://www.waterboards.ca.gov//pr09032020_habs_advisory.p Follow them on twitter https://twitter.com/CaWaterBoards

Environmental Health will be doing a soft opening of our front counter beginning Monday, June 1st. We will see people by appointment only, and only for business that cannot be handled via phone, email, or mail. To schedule an appointment, please call our Ukiah office at 707-234-6625, and our Fort Bragg office at 707-961-2714.... Please Note: We will see ONE person every 30 minutes, from 8:30am - 12pm, and 1pm - 3:30pm. This will ensure we have time to properly disinfect our counter in between customers and at the end of the day. We will be closed for lunch from 12-1pm. There will be a drop box located outside of our front doors for application submitals. We will only accept check, money order, and credit card payments. No cash at this time. The front doors will remain locked to the public. Please alert the greeter inside that you are there for your scheduled appointment, or call our main line to let us know you’re there. And of course, please remember your facial covering and to maintain social distancing while in our lobby. Please call us with any questions! Thank you.

Good news! Mendocino County's Attestation Plan was approved! This means once the new Health Order comes out, we can move into Phase 2.5, allowing restaurants to have limited dine-in seating. In order for a business to re-open, they must complete their own Business Reopening Plan. To do so, please visit mendocinocountybusiness.org and complete steps 1-4. **Step 1: Mendocino County Safe Operations Business Plan** (highlighted in blue below for reference) MUST be completed and ...posted in your restaurant to be in compliance. Please also print the Restaurant Best Practices PDF - This is an informative guide specific to limited dine-in restaurants. Once you have completed all 4 steps, post your Certificate of Compliance at your restaurant and await the new Health Order for the green light to open! Thank you for your compliance. It is crucial our restaurants follow all of the safety guidelines to ensure we continue to move forward in reopening our County. For questions or guidance, please call us at 707-234-6625. (Please note the businesses NOT permitted to operate in Phase 2.5 highlighted in yellow below, per State rules)

West Business Development Center has put together a website with a list of local businesses in Mendocino County that are open during our Shelter in Place Order. If you know a business, restaurant, market, etc. that is open for business and would like to be on their website, have them visit the website and click on the "Submit Your Business Information" button. This is a great resource for everyone, please share! https://www.westcenter.org/open-for-business

Please see the below advisory from the State Water Board. Our sewer systems are in danger of blockages given the massive increase in use of disinfecting wipes.

Here are a couple of lists of restaurants that will be offering to-go orders (takeout), curbside pickup and/or delivery. The list for Willits was put together by the Willits Chamber of Commerce and was last updated on March 18, 2020. The list for the Ukiah area was put together by volunteers and was last updated on March 18, 2020.... **Please note that Environmental Health does not endorse any businesses listed, nor do we guarantee that the businesses listed will remain open. In addition, Environmental Health will not be updating this information. Please be mindful that indoor dining is prohibited during the Shelter in Place Order.

Due to the recent Covid-19 event, our front counter will not be open to the public until further notice. We will however still be working in the office. For questions or concerns regarding our services specifically, please call our main line at 707-234-6625. For our Staff Directory please visit our Contact Us page at: https://www.mendocinocounty.org//environmental-/contact-us For calls related specifically to Covid-19, please call their call center at 707-234-6052.... We appreciate your patience during these trying times and hope to be back to serving you at our counter as soon as possible.

What every American and community can do now to decrease the spread of the coronavirus. Here are some simple steps you can do.

It is with great sadness that we mourn the loss of one of our dearest health inspectors Meropi Germonou. She passed away peacefully in her sleep sometime last week unexpectedly. Services will be held at Saint Seraphim of Sarov Orthodox Church in Santa Rosa very soon, and we will update this post with the time and date when we receive those details. [UPDATE] A short evening service (30 mins) will be held Monday night at 6pm with the full service occurring on Tuesday February... 4th at 10am at Saint Seraphim of Sarov Orthodox Church (90 Mountain View Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95407). Following the service at the church will be a graveside service at Oak Mound Cemetery (601 Piper St, Healdsburg, CA 95448) Meropi served Mendocino County for almost 19 years in her role as a consumer protection inspector. She assisted in the plan checking and designing of hundreds of restaurant kitchens in Mendocino County. Well known by those facilities she inspected, unforgettable by those she helped, and loved by her coworkers. She will be greatly missed.

Team members from Environmental Health and the Redwood Empire Hazardous Incident Team (REHIT) responded to a dump truck on its side at mile marker 13.20 on Highway 253. The truck came to rest on its side fuel tank. Fire personnel on scene were concerned that the truck’s diesel fuel tank could rupture during the process of tipping the truck back onto its wheels and potentially release the diesel contents into the ditch and surrounding environment. REHIT personnel drilled into the fuel tank and pumped the diesel out into a drum. The vehicle has been removed and the roadway is once again open. No fuel leaked out of the tank, and the truck was hauling asphalt grindings. California Highway Patrol is reporting that the driver was uninjured.

We will be closed on Wednesday, July 10th for an All-Staff training day. We apologize for the inconvenience. If you need assistance, please leave a message on our main line at 707-234-6625 and we will return your call on Friday. Thank you.

Mendocino County Environmental Health will be closed to the public on July 4th and 5th in observance of Independence Day. Regular hours will resume on Monday, July 8th. Have a fun and safe holiday weekend!

On Tuesday April 9th, the Redwood Empire Hazardous Incident Team (REHIT) conducted their annual HAZMAT exercise. Every year the team practices dealing with different emergency haz-mat scenarios to improve co-operation with all of the participating agencies, provide training to new members, refreshers to veteran members and testing of field equipment. These exercises are critical to keeping our first responders and hazardous material response team sharp and steely-eyed, ready ...to tackle whatever dangers may be posed to the public or environment from hazardous material releases. This year’s scenario was meant to challenge the team in dealing with many unknown chemicals, with unknown hazards that may have mixed together. This scenario could be seen if a tractor trailer hauling a variety of chemicals turned over on the freeway during a wreck. The team worked together to problem-solve what the best choice of protection, decontamination and identification would be used. The chemicals were safely identified and handled, and the exercise was a success. For more information on REHIT or how your first response team could also participate in trainings and response call Will Nalty (707) 234-6632