Wood County Health District is urging residents in and around flooded areas to take precautions to help prevent disease and stay safe.
Heavy rains can create conditions that affect private wells and drinking water. If you live in an area that was recently or is currently flooded, your private well may be in danger of contamination from pollutants carried in flood waters. Flood waters and runoff may contain fecal material from overflowing sewage systems, agricultural and industrial byproducts and other contaminants that can affect water supplies and cause water-borne illness. Wells located in pits, basements and low-lying areas are especially susceptible to contamination.
To avoid illness, it is important for residents and businesses that were impacted by flooding to make sure their water is safe to drink. Any well that has been submerged by flood waters should be pumped out once the floodwater recedes, then thoroughly disinfected and tested to determine that the water is safe.
People with private water wells who think their well may have been impacted by flooding should contact the Wood County Health District for information on disinfecting and testing water from a well.
For information on well chlorination, go to http://www.woodcountyhealth.org/envhealth/private_water.html
