Environmental Health Needs

Anderson County, SCKathy Little, Community Development Coordinator

Partners for a Healthy Community(864) 375-9190

klittle@anmed.com

Partners for a Healthy Community

MissionIs to improve the health and well-being of people.

What are the Environmental Needs in Anderson County?

Healthy People 201010 Leading Indicators

•Physical Activity

•Overweight and Obesity

•Tobacco Use

•Substance Abuse

•Responsible Sexual Behavior

•Mental Health

•Injury and Prevention

•Environmental Quality

•Immunization

•Access to Healthcare

The Opportunity

South Carolina Turning Point offered $50,000 grants for assessment and planning. Partners for a Healthy Community, a local non-profit organization serving Anderson County, applied and was funded, to assess the environmental health concerns of Anderson County.

Goals and Objectives

•To assess the environmental quality of Anderson County using APEX-CPH assessment tool

•To identify the critical environmental health needs facing Anderson County

•To establish a diverse team representative of the community partnering to address key critical issues

•To develop a community improvement plan to address critical needs identified by the environmental assessment

•To ensure sustainability through the commitment of partners involved and procurement of ongoing funding

Examples of Data Sources

Environmental and Health Statistics available from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control

Information procured from OSHA

Environmental Toxicology information through Clemson University

Local Emergency Planning Committee list of Hazardous Materials

Examples of Data Sources

NPDES Permit Lists of Corporate and Industrial Emissions

Hospital admission and discharge data related to environmental issues, such as asthma or work-related injury

Toxic Release Inventory by the Environmental Protection Agency

Demographics, population growth, and economic development data from Appalachian Council of Governments

Timeline

June 1, 2000 – Distribute request for proposal to qualified organizations to conduct Anderson County Environmental Assessment and select institution offering the best assessment for the funds available

July 1, 2000 – Begin multi-faceted community input process

November 1, 2000 – Release findings of the Environmental Assessment and convene committee to act as advisory panel to develop a community improvement plan

March 1, 2001 – Strategic plan in place with projects and initiatives identified to address issues uncovered during the assessment and baseline outcomes measurements

June 1, 2001 – Implementation of the strategic plan underway with funding identified to sustain the effort

Grant Funding Request Budget Category Turning Point Funds In-Kind/Donated

Program Director $8,840.00Fringe Benefits $1,592.00Consultants $32,000.00Equipment $3,420.00Meeting Expense $900.00Travel $662.00Supplies $486.00Printer/Copying $1,800.00Postage $300.00Office Rent $3,600.00Utilities and Telephone $600.00Office Equipment $2,000.00Office Supplies $600.00Meeting Facilities $800.00Data Projector and Screen $4,920.00Committee Member Volunteer Time InvaluableTotal Budget $50,000.00 $12,520.00

What are the Environmental Needs in Anderson County?

Key Findings

Morningside Community Development AssociationFocus Group

Issue Votes

Dilapidated/abandoned houses 4Parks (Recreational) 3Abandoned cars 3Storm drainage 3Old mill sites 2Overgrown/unkept property 2Abandoned trailers 1Keeping ditches clean (free of debris) 1Drinking water quality 1Air pollution 0

Appalachia 1 Public Health District Community Advisory Council Focus Group

Issue VotesRapid growth 13Recycling 12Water quality 10Overstimulation - Noise, litter, visual pollution 7Air quality 7Environment aesthetically pleasing 7Environmental Education of public 6Lack of education 6Lack of healthcare 4Density (commercial/residential development) 4Water management 2Drug and alcohol addiction 2

Homeland Park Community Action GroupFocus Group

Issue VotesAbandoned Property 28 Burning Leaves 10Telephone Exchanges (Abbeville vs. Anderson) 10“Streetwalkers” 8 Road Conditions 5Sidewalks 5Scrap Tires in Piles 5Traffic (So. Main and 28) 5Businesses not Clean or Kept 4Stray Pets / Animals 4Insect Problems 4Lighting Conditions 3Noise Pollution 3Drainage 2

Forced Ranking - Anderson Business Expo1. Drinking water 2. Outdoor air quality3. Recycling3. Dilapidated / unkept property5. Educating the community on environmental issues6. Waste management7. Land management8. Indoor air quality8. Quality of recreational waterways10. "Overstimulation" - (noise, litter, visual pollution)11. County growth patterns11. Green space (parks and recreation)11. Industrial emissionsAdditional Issue: Rapid Growth

Validating the Opinions of a Few

University of Charleston’s Institute for Public Affairs and Policy Studies conducted a random household telephone survey of 379 Anderson County residents to determine their views on the environmental issues uncovered during the qualitative data collection process. (Error margin +/- 5%, 95% level of confidence) Community opinion showed the following critical concerns, beginning with the issue precipitating the most negative response:

1. Controlling trash and litter along roadsides and in public areas

2. Providing and encouraging opportunities to recycle

3. Preserving natural resources such as trees and wildlife

Mean Scores on Attributes

3.52 3.59

3.01

3.36

3.86

3.523.61 3.62

3.30

4.20

4.02

1

2

3

4

5VeryGood

VeryPoor

Performance on Attributes and Impact on Anderson County Quality of Life

PersonalHealthStatusDrinking

Water

LandUse

NaturalResources

Lakes & Streams

Trash

Air

BuildingMaintenance

RecyclingOpportunities

Litter

Performance

Imp

act

(Pea

rso

n C

orr

elat

ion

)

And the Data Says...While our local committee focused on the community input process, our local Appalachian Council of Governments conducted our data collection and analysis and identified the following primary concerns:

1. Air Quality - We face critical ozone concerns that must be addressed to comply with U.S. EPA standards

2. Water Quality - Many miles of streams do not meet water quality standards and do not support basic aquatic life.

3. Growth - Rapid growth is straining overall infrastructure and the environment in key locations. Although economically beneficial, growth must be managed - “Smart Growth!”

4. Parks and Recreation - An alarmingly low percentage of acreage is protected and dedicated to public use

Thinking Strategically

During a day long strategic planning retreat, our Environmental Committee considered both the community input and the data analysis to determine a course of action. We will focus on

• Smart Growth

• Waste Minimization (Litter & Recycling)

Where do we go from here?

• Smart Growth - a subcommittee has convened to determine ways of influencing community growth

• Waste minimization - through the support of existing organizations working to address this issue

• Education - our community must understand these critical environmental concerns

• Funding - We seek additional funding to implement and sustain the effort began by the Turning Point grant to assess and plan.