Who knew too much water could be bad for your well?
Flood waters could pose health risks for mid-Michigan residents who get their water from private wells. Fred Yanoski is the the Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for the Midland County Health Department. He said people whose well head was submerged by flood water should have their well tested for bacteria.
“Any flood water could contain bacteria or other undesirable things that would not normally be found in your drinking water. It could contain different debris and bacteria which would make your water unsafe for consumption and could potentially cause communicable disease”.
Yanoski said anybody who thinks their well was affected should test their water before they drink from it.
“Test kits are available you just stop by your local health department and pick up a test kit. That kit once you follow the directions and sample your water that kit is mailed down to the state health department and usually within a couple of days they will electronically send the result of that test back”.
Yanoski said results usually come back from the state lab in a couple days. If they’re positive for bacteria, the health department will help create a plan to treat the well. He said typically treatment is inexpensive and done at the owner's expense, but right now the testing free.
