After Hurricane Florence in 2018, nearly 45 percent of wells tested by the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health were found to have bacterial contamination. More than 13% of those wells had detectable E. coli.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services says there are steps people who get their water from a private well can take in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Debby to ensure their water is safe for drinking.
They include turning off electricity to the pump and leaving it that way until flood waters recede. If extensive flooding has occurred, they say people shouldn’t drink the tap water and should use bottled water instead until the well water has been tested and deemed safe for use.
Those that live near animal feeding operations, agricultural fields where pesticides are applied or industrial chemical factories should contact the local health department for additional testing, especially if they smell fuel or chemicals in the water.
If there is bacterial contamination, the water should not be used drinking, cooking, making ice, bathing in any form or washing clothes or dishes. The water can be boiled for five minutes before those uses.
