Alert to Private Well Owners in Flooded Areas

By DOH-Escambia

May 01, 2014

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The Florida Department of Health in Escambia County (DOH-Escambia) advises private well owners affected by flood waters to take precautions against disease-causing organisms that may make water unsafe to drink.

DOH-Escambia recommends any of the following strategies to ensure the safety of water used in the household:

Boil water before use, holding it at rolling boil for at least one minute before using it for drinking, brushing teeth, washing food, cooking, or washing dishes.
Disinfect water by adding 8 drops (about 1/8 tsp – this would form a puddle about the size of a dime) of plain, unscented household bleach (4 to 6 percent active ingredient) per gallon of water, and then let it stand for 30 minutes. If the water is cloudy after 30 minutes, repeat the procedure once. Use a container that has a cap or cover for disinfecting and storing water to be used for drinking. This will prevent contamination.
Use bottled water, especially for mixing baby formula.

After the flooding subsides:

Disinfect your well using the procedures provided at http://www.floridahealth.gov/healthy-environments/private-well-testing/_documents/Flooded_Well_Broc.pdf. You may also visit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s website for instructions: http://water.epa.gov/drink/info/well/whatdo.cfm.
If available, have your water tested through your county health department or by a laboratory certified by the state to perform a drinking water analysis for coliform bacteria.

For more information, please contact the DOH-Escambia’s Environmental Health division at 850-595-6700 or visit www.escambiahealth.com or www.FloridaDisaster.org.