Health Department Experiencing Critical Staffing Shortage in Division of Environmental Health Services

The Cecil County Health Department is experiencing a critical staffing shortage in its well & septic program. Since January, the well & septic program has lost two-thirds of its experienced staff, leaving a single staff person in each program with sufficient expertise to handle well and septic matters.

The staffing shortage has had a significant impact on the Health Department’s ability to process applications and other requests promptly. The Health Department has been working closely with Cecil County Government to identify measures to expedite the review and approval of applications and meet the needs of county residents and businesses.

The Health Department has also requested staffing assistance from the Maryland Department of the Environment to assist with the backlog of applications.

Health Officer Lauren Levy said, “We fully recognize the impact that this staffing shortage is having on processing times and the ability of residents and businesses to move forward with planned transactions, repairs, and development. We appreciate the county government’s assistance in helping identify solutions and MDE’s staffing support. Our staff is working very hard to process applications, and we request the public’s patience as we try to resolve the backlog.”

At this time, the estimated processing time for permit applications and other requests is 6 to 8 weeks. The Health Department requests that community members refrain from contacting the office to inquire about the status of their application if their application has been submitted in this time window, as the time needed to return calls and emails will prevent staff from working directly on applications.