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Drainage Complaints
Drainage complaints may be valid if either of two conditions exist: if a drainage way has been blocked so that pooled water has adversely impacted a household sewage disposal system (HSDS), or if pooled water has stagnated, and become a breeding place for mosquitoes. The Health District cannot control, and does not regulate storm water runoff, discharges from swimming pools, or discharges from sump pumps. The sanitarian can take no action in situations where pooled water has not impacted a HSDS, or has not become a breeding place for mosquitoes.
If water is backing up on a property because a drainage way has been blocked on a neighboring property, and a HSDS has been affected, then the sanitarian can order the person creating the health nuisance condition to unblock the drainage way. Pooled water can adversely affect a HSDS if it is covering a leach field, or a portion of it, since water standing over leach lines can severely reduce the capacity of the system to absorb wastewater. Water standing over the discharge pipe of a discharging system can cause wastewater to back up in the system, which could cause a malfunction of the system, or cause sewage to back up in the home.
Pooled water must stand at least ten days before it could become a breeding site for mosquitoes, due to the life cycle of the insect. Mosquito larvae must be observed in stagnant water before the Health District can take action. Regardless of the number of adult mosquitos present, no action can be taken by the Health District to eliminate a mosquito nuisance unless breeding sites are identified. If mosquito larvae are found, then the property owner will be required either to treat, or drain the stagnant water.
The property owner is responsible for treating or eliminating stagnant water which has become a breeding place for mosquitoes, regardless of the source of the water. The Health District does not have the legal authority to order someone other than the property owner to treat or eliminate standing water on private property.
If treatment is the choice, then the water should be treated with a larvicide, which is a pesticide that kills only the larvae. Treatment with motor oil is against the law. The larvicide recommended for home use is called "Mosquito Dunks". It can be purchased at hardware stores and garden stores, and usually is in the form of a small, doughnut-like cake. It is non-toxic, and is composed of a bacteria which is lethal only to mosquito and black fly larvae. The larvicide is placed in water where mosquitoes are breeding. One cake will treat up to one hundred square feet of surface area, and will last up to thirty days, if it isn�t washed out during a rain.
If there is stagnant water in a drainage ditch on a county road, contact the Clermont County Engineers Office. The Engineers Office is solely responsible for maintaining county roads, and will clear out the ditch as soon as possible. If there is a problem with a drainage ditch on a township road, then contact the local township officials.
Swimming pools which have been neglected can be unsightly, but may not have become a breeding place for mosquitoes. If the water in a swimming pool has turned green it is due to the presence of algae, which does not create a health nuisance. Frogs living in a swimming pool do not create a health nuisance.
Mosquito surveillance is sometimes performed during the investigation of a drainage complaint at the sanitarian�s discretion. A drainage complaint must be received before the Health District will perform mosquito surveillance. Mosquito surveillance is not performed upon request.
See Vector-borne Disease Control for more information about mosquitoes, mosquito control, and mosquito surveillance.