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Rural Health Concerns Include Flooded Wells Posted 19 June 2008 There are thousands of private wells in Iowa. Recent and continued flooding has affected many of these wells. The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) urges private well owners to be aware of safety precautions regarding flooded wells. "If you know or even suspect that your private well has been compromised by flood waters, you must stop using that well water immediately," said IDPH Director Tom Newton. "Contaminated well water should not be used for drinking, cooking, laundry or bathing." Other safety measures for private well owners who suspect water contamination include:     * Obtain water known to be safe from another source, or use bottled water. If you do not have access to bottled water you should:           * Obtain water from another source KNOWN to be SAFE (hauling from a water buffalo, another municipal water supply, etc.) in a CLEAN container.           * Bring the well water to a rolling boil for one minute. Boiling for a longer period of time may concentrate chemicals that could be in the water.           * After flood waters have receded and it is safe to check your well, it is important to shock chlorinate your well with bleach. Information on the chlorination process may be found at http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/pdf/wellsdisinfect.pdf.           * Two days after chlorination has occurred, the water in the well needs to be tested by a laboratory. Continue to use bottled water or a safe water supply for drinking, cooking, laundry and bathing until a laboratory has verified that your well water is safe to drink.           * Contact your county environmental health office for assistance in collecting and testing a water sample. It is important that chlorination be performed by a professional. Improper chlorination can result in chlorine burns, inhalation and other health problems. In addition, a professional should check well controllers, tanks and piping. Flooding may have damaged any or all of these components. The Iowa Well Water Association has more information on well water safety at www.iwwa.org/. For more information on flood-related health issues, visit www.idph.state.ia.us and click on "Flooding" under the "Topics of Interest."

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