General Definition of Work

Performs intermediate skilled technical work administering and implementing Wright County’s Health and Zoning programs through permit and plan review, field work, public contact, and education and enforcement activities.

Work is performed under the general direction of the Environmental Health Supervisor. Oversight is exercised over personnel within the team.

Essential Functions

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable an individual with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Essential Functions

Reviews plans and conducts soil analyses for septic designs; performs field inspections of sewer installations, checking for placement, construction techniques, quality of material, and enforcement of setbacks and separation requirements.
Enforces County’s Point-of-Sales ordinance to ensure septic systems meet code when property is transferred.
Assists homeowners and installers with assessing design alterations to existing systems to bring them into compliance; discusses any discrepancies with the designer or installer and re-inspects if necessary; coordinates inspections and enforcement actions with the Building Inspector and Planning divisions.
Conducts pre-construction inspections for proposed building sites and shoreland, or other projects, for land alteration and sediment and erosion control impacts.
Receives and investigates complaints regarding potential violations of environmental standards.
Develops and promotes educational programs that increase the public’s awareness of the sewer code and current environmental health issues and hazards.
Provides customer service to applicants and the general public regarding zoning ordinance, public hearings, building permit information, and complaints; assists with Household hazardous waste, recycling, and other solid waste activities and events; assists in developing policies affecting the Department; compiles data for reports.
Assists with the preparation, submittal, and monitoring of Environmental Assessment Worksheets and aggregate mining requests.
Performs other duties and activities as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications & Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Education and Experience

Bachelor's degree in environmental science, biology, planning, or related field, and one year of experience in environmental health, planning and zoning, construction, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Special Requirements

MPCA Septic certification as an on-site Septic System Inspector upon hire.

A valid driver’s license or evidence of equivalent mobility is also required upon hire.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Knowledge of hydrology, soils, and limnology; knowledge of basic engineering and surveying; knowledge of construction practices and earth moving techniques; knowledge of local, State and Federal laws, regulations, and codes relating to zoning; knowledge of current laboratory techniques and public heath practices; basic computer skill in word processing, spreadsheets, database, and ability to learn computer systems specific to the County and Department; verbal and written communication skills sufficient to effectively present information and respond to questions from a wide variety of audiences including public groups, compose/draft correspondence and reports, and exchange and/or convey complex concepts and information; reading comprehension skills sufficient to read and interpret a wide variety of documents; interpersonal skills sufficient to exchange and or convey information, receive work direction, and maintain effective working relationships; ability to read topographic and soils maps, property legal descriptions, interpret soil boring and percolation tests; ability to understand, interpret, and explain applicable County and State codes; ability to investigate and assess probable cause in various circumstances; ability to maintain patience, confidence and composure with hostile person or under adverse circumstances; ability to work with minimal supervision; ability to pay attention to detail and effectively organize time and anticipate, plan, and successfully respond to changing circumstances; ability to perform all job duties in compliance with safety guidelines and with an ongoing awareness of safety practices; ability to communicate courteously and professionally while maintaining positive working relationships with others when carrying out all job functions.

Physical Requirements

This work requires the frequent exertion of up to 50 pounds of force and occasional exertion of up to 100 pounds of force; work regularly requires speaking or hearing and using hands to finger, handle or feel, frequently requires standing, walking, sitting, reaching with hands and arms, lifting and repetitive motions and occasionally requires
climbing or balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching crawling, or smelling and pushing or pulling; work has standard vision requirements; vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word and conveying detailed or important instructions to others accurately, loudly or quickly; hearing is
required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels and to receive detailed information through oral communications and/or to make fine distinctions in sound; work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data, visual inspection involving small defects and/or small parts, using of measuring devices, operating machines, operating motor vehicles or equipment and observing general surroundings and activities; work
occasionally requires wet, humid conditions (non-weather), working near moving mechanical parts, exposure to fumes or airborne particles, exposure to toxic or caustic chemicals, exposure to outdoor weather conditions, exposure to extreme cold (non-weather), exposure to extreme heat (non-weather), working with explosives, exposure to vibration, wearing a self-contained breathing apparatus and exposure to bloodborne pathogens and may be required to wear specialized personal protective equipment; work is generally in a moderately noisy location (e.g. business office, light traffic).

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Environmental Health Inspector