While many businesses have suffered from the building recession, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH, Inc.) remains healthy. VDH staffing levels remain virtually unchanged even though the number of permits have decreased substantially since 2008. VDH, Inc. has accomplished this by taking market share from private sector designers many or most of whom are now essentially defunct due to unfair competition from VDH, Inc.

I am convinced that VDH, Inc. will go to any length necessary to keep designing septic systems even though they have no mandate to do so and refuse to accept liability for damages that occur due to their design decisions. So go ahead and give them the ability to do whatever they want to do with fees. This would be the final tool VDH, Inc. needs to function as an effective monopoly on design services.

With all the focus on VDH, Inc. designing septic systems, is anyone actually following up to see if they are keeping their food inspections complete and recent? That would seem like a more important public health issue than designing septic systems.

Tony Bible, AOSE

Southwest Environmental Consulting, Inc.