IF YOUR WELL WAS FLOODED DURING SUNDAY’S STORM, YOUR WATER MAY NOT BE SAFE TO DRINK!
Extreme flooding events, like those seen in our region after downpours on Sunday, can significantly compromise drinking water supplies. Floodwaters often carry biological and chemical contaminants that can make consumers sick; including bacteria, deicing salts, animal excrement, untreated sewage, pesticides, fertilizers, petroleum products, and particulates from air pollutants. And, according to the most recent National Climate Assessment, extreme precipitation events are already becoming more common as a result of climate change. According to the report: “between 1958 and 2010, the Northeast saw more than a 70% increase in the amount of precipitation falling in very heavy events (defined as the heaviest 1% of all daily events).”
For consumers with a private well and septic system, maintaining a potable drinking water supply after a flood is in your hands. Follow the EPA’s guidelines to ensure potability of your drinking water, and to restore your septic system and leach field to functional order.
