Floodwater often poses a high risk for North Carolina citizens when it contaminates drinkable groundwater in private wells. A large share of people in North Carolina depend on a private well, and this is why floodwater and standing water can be risky for them.
So, what to do in the case of flooding impacting your well system or if your private well is flooded? According to the experts here at Coomer’s Well & Pump, water conditioning is a great way to remove unwanted contaminants from water. But before following this step, there are several other small things property owners should do immediately after their private well is contaminated due to flood.
Immediate Actions After Well Has Flooded
Stop Using Well Water
Floodwaters usually contain substances that can be risky for your health. Floodwater may contain household, industrial and medical waste like harmful chemicals, radiological and biological elements, human waste, and other contaminants. Exposure to contaminated water may cause skin rash, wound infection, gastrointestinal illness, and more. To avoid such risks, stop using flooded well water for drinking, bathing, or washing dishes and clothes since it may be contaminated.
Turn off Your Well Pump and Well Water System
Make sure that you turn off your well pump and well water system immediately after flooding to avoid electrical shock. The best thing you can do before consulting the experts from Coomer’s Well & Pump is to switch off the well pump circuit breaker.
Steps to Follow When Your Well has Flooded
Step 1: Clearing Access to Your Private Well
Has your well been flooded? Has floodwater surrounded your private well? If yes, then there is a chance that your well water has been contaminated. Professional well contractors are the ones who can treat the contaminated water in the well. But before they visit your place for treating flooded well water, make sure that you remove all the debris around the well and clear access to it. This will help the professionals perform their job.
Step 2: Discharging Flush water
Before you disinfect your private well with the help of experts, it is very important that you remove the contaminated water from the well. Let the well contractors flush your private well properly. This will remove the contaminants that entered during the flood.
Step 3: Disinfecting Contaminated Water
Once floodwater is removed from the well, it’s time for disinfection. Professionals at Coomer’s Well & Pump recommend property owners using a pH adjusted chlorination treatment before they start using the well water. Let well contractors disinfect your contaminated well properly in order to avoid health risks. The professionals will disinfect your well and test the well water for potential contaminants before they suggest you use the water for drinking, washing dishes, and so on.
Step 4: Carrying out Other Necessary Maintenance
Before resuming using your well water, let professional contractors test the water properly. This way they will know whether any further maintenance is necessary. If they think further maintenance is required prior to resuming using well water, they will follow the necessary steps and carry out that maintenance.
Professional well and pump repairing experts at Coomer’s Well & Pump know the importance of water. Whether it is about disinfecting contaminated water from the flooded well or installing and repairing the well pump, our experts are here to help.