Island County Health Department

As one of the three elected Commissioners for the recently created Scatchet Head Sewer District, I would like to share the experience we had in bringing our 30+ year old Community Septic System into compliance. First we had to organize as a Public Utility, then we had to elect our volunteer commissioners, then we had to find a reliable Septic Contractor and then coordinate with the Island County Health Department. That took a lot of work, but was made far easier by the guidance and support we received from Island County Health Department and especially the Environmental Health Team.

We were/are also very fortunate to have established a strong working relationship with Paul Drake, owner of BlackWater Solutions, Inc (a veteran owned company based in Coupeville). They helped create a plan to inspect, repair and report our results with Island County Health Department.

Members of Heather Kortuem's Environmental Health team, responsible for Septic Systems and inspections, played a key role in collaborating, coordinating and communicating with all parties. Their proactive involvement and support enabled our community along with Paul and his team, to successfully identify all issues and deficiencies, to replace, repair and resolve all problems. Members of the Environmental Health team even came to Scatchet Head to meet with us and Paul, to review the results, address any questions and establish even stronger lines of communications.

Even though we have overcome many initial challenges and hurdles and are now confident in the overall health and resilience of our community septic system, we need to be fully prepared for any future problems and/or outages. Having strong proactive partnerships with the Island County Health Department along with Blackwater Solutions, puts us in a far, far, far better position than we were previously to anticipate, address and resolve any future challenges.

Thanks again to Island County for their support of our community. This is a perfect example of local government leadership, engagement and support at its very best.

Barbara at the Vitals office was a delight; exceptionally helpful and friendly service provided. I was able to get in and out of the office quickly and appreciated the ability to use my debit card for the birth certificate I purchased.

Best place to work!

Tremendously helpful and patient and knowledgeable. Thanks!!!!