Cascade County environmental health report outlines Superfund schedule, septic workload and new licensing rules under HB 853

Cascade County environmental-health staff told the Board of Health they are handling an elevated workload during the building season and preparing for changes from state legislation and local infrastructure projects.

Rhonda, the department's environmental-health lead, reported 71 septic permits issued so far this year compared with 68 last year and said the program's inspection completion rate stood at about 44 percent so far. She said vacancies in the environmental-health team have required existing staff to cover extra inspections and workload.

The board heard an update on the Carpenter Snow Creek Superfund project. Rhonda said EPA plans to begin construction work in mid-June, starting with tree clearing at the repository site and upgrades to Pioneer Lane. Yard cleanups are expected to begin after July 4 and the season should end around November; EPA expects cleanup work at the Belt Creek tailings in 2027 and substantial project completion in 2028.

"Their construction should be beginning week after next… They think they're gonna start some of the yard cleanups, after the July 4, and they should be ending the the season around November," Rhonda said.

Staff also noted 3 Rivers Wireless plans to install fiber optics in the area and the county is trying to quantify potential ticketing or permit costs. "We kinda wanna see if this is something we need to budget or we gotta find some funds somewhere," Rhonda said.

Legislative changes: The board discussed House Bill 853 (HB 853), signed by the governor, which raises licensing fees effective Oct. 1 and expands licensing requirements for retail food services operated as public accommodations (for example, breakfast operations in hotels that previously were not licensed). Rhonda said the department has budgeted for higher state license fees beginning Oct. 1 and is preparing outreach to affected operators.

"With the passing of HB 853, the retail food services that's in public accommodations have to be licensed now…there's a couple that may need to actually go through a full plan review," Rhonda said, noting the county is planning outreach and a phased approach to bring businesses into compliance.

Rhonda said the department is also preparing a local fee-schedule update (proposing about a 25 percent increase to local fees such as plan reviews and temporary permits) and expects to present a schedule for board review in the coming months. She said septic fee updates are planned for 2026 when the county updates relevant regulations.

Ending: Board members asked staff to proceed with outreach and to prepare proposed fee-schedule changes. Officials said they will monitor EPA and fiber-installation costs and identify budget needs ahead of the October fee changes.