Health
BY RAHN ADAMS
In Brunswick County, where more
septic tanks permits are requested
than anywhere else in the state, the
local health department is having
uuuoie Keeping its sanitarians from
moving to other counties for higher
pay and lighter workloads.
Within the past three months, two
sanitarians have resigned to accept
higher-paying positions in larger
counties, according to Brunswick
County Health Director Michael
Barrett-Rhodes. He added that the
two also cited heavy workloads here
as another reason for leaving.
As a result, the Brunswick County
Health Department is studying
salary levels for sanitarians across
the state and in southeastern North
Carolina, in hopes of helping the
department find and keep qualified
sanitarians.
Although reviewing requests for
septic tank permits is just a part of
their jobs, sanitarians here spend
much of their time doing site evaluations
and then dealing with property
owners who often don't understand
why their lots aren't approved for
septic tank permits, which is often
the case in this rapidly-developing
coastal county, said Barrett-Rhodes.
"If you make 15 to 20 contacts a
day, it just takes its toll after a
while," he said. "Sometimes they
(sanitarians) are telling people what
they don't want to hear, and that
makes it more difficult."
Due to the high number of permit
requests combined with the county's
geographic location, the chances of
having a septic tank permit denied is
more likely in Brunswick County
than anywhere else in the state?a
situation which creates additional
stress for local sanitarians, said
Barrett-Rhodes.
According to a joint legislative
study committee co-chaired by State
Rep. David Redwine of Ocean Isle
Beach, Brunswick County led the
state last year in the number of site
evaluations that were done, as well
as in the number of septic tank permits
that were both issued and
denied.
About 5,000 site evaluations were
done last year in Brunswick. Some
2,700 septic tanks permits were
issued here, while 1,100 were denied,
according to Redwine.
Counties with the second-highest
figures in those categories included
Wake, where 3,700 evaluations were
done and 2,000 permits were issued;
and Forsyth, where 568 permits were
denied.
Barrett-Rhodes said each of his
sanitarians does about 90 site evaluations
per month. Their duties also include
inspecting septic tanks as they
are installed, examining repairs to
existing septic systems, checking
mobile homes that are moved to different
sites, collecting water samples
and inspecting restaurants and lodging
facilities such as motels.
"It's a job that a lot of people don't
understand and feel like it's a
necessary evil, even though we're
trying to protect the public," said
local Environmental Health Supervisor
John Crowder. "A sanitarian is
not just an inspector; it goes beyond
that. We are charged by our code of
ethics to try to educate the
public..."
The site evaluation, which generally
takes about 15 minutes to do, involves
studying t'ne iot's topography,
vegetation and soils. The sanitarian
also uses a ground auger to check the
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SANITARIAN GARY MCDONALD (rig!
soil during a site evaluation on a lot a
Sunset Beach. Also pictured is trainee E
be certified this month.
waier laDle and reach soil at least si
three feet deep.
But the sanitarian's e
work?especially on lots that are a
turned down?doesn't end when the y
site evaluation itself is completed, p
The sanitarian must meet with the tl
property owner and explain the p
results of the evaluation.
"The growth in Brunswick County si
is such that you have a lot of people q
moving here from outside who don't S
even know what a septic tank is," ri
Crowder said, noting that many
newcomers are used to municipal E
sewer systems. "With them, it's very p
difficult for us to convey the impor- si
tance of proper sewage disposal." c
Local realtors and developers ji
understand that importance and "by g
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it) uses a ground auger to cheek the
it Lakeshore Woods subdivision in
Ernest Komanowski, who expects to
unitarians to deal with, he added.
The health department currently
mploys five certified sanitarians
nd two trainees. One vacancy has
et to be filled. Both trainees are exected
to be certified by the end of
ie summer, after they have comleted
at least six months of training.
Barrett-Rhodes said two additional
anitarian positions have been reuested
for the next budget year,
alary increases, however, were not
equested.
At last month's Brunswick County
loard of Health meeting, Crowder
sported the results of a random
urvey of sanitarians' salaries in 18
ounties across the state. The survey
icluded the state's 10 fastestrowing
counties.
Of those 18 counties, Crowder
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Of Sanitariar
found that sanitarians' salaries here
ranked third from the bottom. In
Brunswick, trainees receive $17,027
per year, while sanitarians with
about two years of experience earn
$17,464. In the other counties sampled,
trainees are paid an average of
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$17,783, and experienced sanitarians ^
receive an average of $19,673, he
said. !
However, Brunswick's salaries ap- '
pear to be "comparable" with those 5
in other southeastern counties, ac- '
cording to a second survey Crowder '
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N. Thursday, June 2, 1988?Page 3-A
?, Area
,vas completing last week.
Barrett-Rhodes said Crowder's
studies would first be used by the
lealth board to determine if local
sanitarians are being underpaid. If
so, the board could then consider
ecommending salary increases.
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