ALPENA — Officials with District Health Department No. 4 will crack down on businesses that do not complete water testing or food licensing as required.

The department’s board recently approved several late fees affecting businesses with non-community water supplies or swimming pools, restaurants, and campgrounds in Alpena, Montmorency, Presque Isle, and Cheboygan counties.

Businesses with swimming pools and campgrounds who do not pay testing and inspection fees will be charged a $50 late fee after 30 days and another $50 late fee after 60 days. Businesses with non-community water supplies that do not complete their quarterly testing will also be charged a $50 late fee.

Restaurants or other establishments with food service licenses who do not pay on time will be charged a $30 late fee once their license expires. They will see their license fee double after 11 days, instead of the previous 30-day grace period. Food service licenses expire on April 30 each year.

The board learned in November that nearly one-third — or 90 out of 300 — of the non-community water supplies the Health Department monitors were non-compliant in their testing.

A non-community water supply provides water from an on-site well to 25 or more people a minimum of 60 days a year or has 15 or more service connections. Those water supplies — such as at restaurants, hotels, campgrounds, parks, churches, and schools — are required to sample for coliform bacteria and nitrates.

Health Officer Denise Bryan said the Health Department has an ethical and legal responsibility to ensure food, water, and campgrounds are safe for the public.

“Water is such a touchy issue in Michigan,” Bryan said. “Our residents expect quality, safe drinking water, and, if the guidelines are quarterly monitoring, our residents expect those operators to be testing their water. So I do feel that if we encourage — that if we don’t do something about late operators, it’s almost as if it’s eroding the public health of our safe drinking water.”

Environmental Health Director Kevin Prevost said that, while the majority of businesses pay on time, there are a handful that don’t complete their sampling on time.

“What we see problems with are just people who choose not to sample,” Prevost said. “They just don’t sample, and it’s not for a lack of knowledge that’s required or anything, because we spend a lot of time reminding (them).”

Prevost said Health Department staff send postcards to businesses of their upcoming testing dates and that staff call the businesses at the end of each quarter.

“When people choose to not take that step — to assure the public with that — I have a problem with that,” he said.

The board also approved a $2 increase to its laboratory fee, bringing the fee to $22. The laboratory that does the testing for the Health Department increased its fee by $22.

Crystal Nelson can be reached at 989-358-5687 or cnelson@thealpenanews.com.