Work includes water-testing lab

By BRIAN J. EVANS

Bellefontaine Examiner

Staff Writer

As part of the Logan County Health Department’s renovation scheduled for the next several weeks, health officials are building a lab in which they will test water from area streams and wells for contaminants and bacteria— testing previously sent to outside labs in other counties. 

“We do a lot of water testing,” said Logan County Health Commissioner Dr. Boyd Hoddinott. “And we’re doing more and more testing for monitoring the (Cherokee Run) landfill.”  

Dr. Hoddinott estimated the health district pays $9,000 per year for water testing and that number is increasing rapidly.  “Our testing for this year is going to be more than $23,000,” he said.  “Now we can only send samples out so many days a week. When we have our own lab, we’ll have a quicker turn around and it will cost less for results.” 

Quicker results, he explained, will benefit the public. 

The $50,000-lab will be built in five weeks, Dr. Hoddinott said, and will be certified through the Environmental Protection Agency. 

It is expected to begin testing for bacteria and contaminants by early fall.  “Monitoring of the landfill is our responsibility through the Logan County Solid Waste Management District,” he said.  “We monitor all streams coming out and wells (nearby).” 

Dr. Hoddinott said they want to extend this testing to several of the larger landfills in the county. 

“We all drink ground water,” he said, explaining that in-house testing will allow for earlier detection.  “We can do these tests much cheaper than commercial labs,” he said.

“We can do all the simple tests normally done and screening for the more complicated tests.” 

Any samples requiring more complicated tests will be sent out, the commissioner said. 

“We will be fully certified (for what we need to test for) through the EPA,” he said. 

“This is to save the solid waste district a significant amount of money and expand our program and protect the public from pollution from the landfill.” 

The cost for the lab will pay for itself in four years, he explained. 

Renovations for the health department begin Monday and continue through Aug. 18, health officials reported.

Source:  www.examiner.org