Residents in flooded areas with a private well are being instructed to make sure their water source is clean of any possible contaminants before use.
`Any residents that use their own well water or private wells … those wells could now potentially be contaminated,` said Joe MCQueen, spokesman for Schenectady County. `They need to get in there and clean and disinfect their wells to make sure no flood water or river water could be in their wells.`
The Schenectady County Environmental Health Unit has issued the following guidelines for well disinfection due to flooding.
- Use a half gallon of a fresh bleach solution containing 5.25 percent available chlorine.
- Mix 1/2 gallon of bleach with 5 gallons of water.
- Pour the mixture into the well, either by removing the sanitary seal or through a vent pipe. Caution: It is a good practice to disconnect the electrical power to the pump to avoid electrical shock.
- Run all taps in the home or business until you can smell the chlorine odor in the water. Optional: In some cases, it is advisable to re-circulate water down the casing or the sides of dug wells for at least one hour. This can be accomplished by using a hose from an outside tap and letting the water run back down into the well. Extreme caution should be used to avoid electrical shock.
- Shut off all taps and let well stand idle for at least eight hours.
- After at least eight hours (preferably 12 to 24 hours), run the water again until the chlorine odor dissipates completely. It is recommended that the chlorinated water be runoff via a hose to an area that avoids grass and/or shrubbery. Do not runoff into septic system.
It is advisable not to bathe in, drink or cook, or wash your colored clothes while the chlorine is still at a high concentration in your water.
Schenectady County Environmental Health will test resident’s water after wells are disinfected. Please call 386-2810 for more information or to make testing arrangements.
