Welch, WV (WOAY) – The WV Bureau of Public Health is asking McDowell County residents with flood damage to “Think Before You Drink” when it comes to water sources.
Once flood waters recede, people who rely on private wells, springs, cisterns, pumps and pipes will need to get them tested and disinfected.
The West Virginia Bureau For Public Health says that using contaminated water for food preparation or cleaning can cause serious illness or even death.
The public health sanitation division shares how to properly disinfect the water.
To disinfect water supplies, use laundry bleach with 5 1/4% available chlorine.
Prepare a 5 gallon batch by pouring 1 gallon of the bleach into 4 gallons of water.
Once flood water has receded, remove any debris from the water.
Pour half of the disinfected batch into the contaminated area.
Now you will need to start the pump if there is one. Hose the inside of the well and open all taps until water from every tap smells strongly of chlorine. If there is no pump dump the entire batch of disinfectant into the supply.
Pour the remaining batch into the water and allow it to sit for 12 to 24 hours.
Next you will pump the supply to waste or until the smell of choline disappears. Adjust the flow of water from the faucets that discharge into septic systems to a low flow to not overload the disposal system.
Before you use the water, ask your local health department to collect samples for testing.
Keep in mind, disinfection of an improperly protected supply will not insure its safety.
Anyone wishing to have their well water tested that was affected by the flood, should contact the McDowell County WV Health Department at 304-448-2174.
