Florida Health Department testing private water wells for contamination after Irma

Water

The Florida Department of Health is offering free bacteria tests of water from flooded private wells in the wake of Hurricane Irma.

Crews have set up a truck at Max Hasse Community Park, 3390 Golden Gate Blvd. W. in Golden Gate Estates, to distribute water sampling kits and then send collected samples to be analyzed for coliform and E. coli levels.

Sampling kits were available until 3 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20) and will be available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21, and Monday through Sept. 28.

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Results take 24 hours, so samples are not being collected Fridays, spokeswoman Andrea McKinney said. Health officials will notify residents of their results.

Residents with bacteria contamination in their well water should disinfect the well with 1 to 2 gallons of bleach. Pour the bleach down the well, bypassing any treatment systems, and turn on cold water faucets and spigots inside and outside the house. Let the water run until it smells of bleach.

Allow the water to sit in the pipes unused for 12 to 18 hours, preferably overnight. Turn the cold water back on, starting with outside spigots, and run the water until the bleach smell goes away.

In addition to disinfecting the well, health officials also recommend emptying aerator tanks and salt tanks and scrubbing them with a solution of 1 to 2 cups of bleach per gallon of water. Rinse thoroughly.

Water should be retested five to seven days after the disinfection process, and health officials suggest using bottled water until the retest is completed.