While not the be all, end all signs of well and ground water contamination, the presence of either certainly warrants immediate action and, in our opinion, the performance of more thorough testing by a certified drinking water testing laboratory.

Testing wells regularly is the only way to determine whether well water is safe to drink; many contaminants are colorless and odorless. Water from a public or municipal water system is regularly tested for contaminants regulated by federal and state standards. ( source )

For those not living in McHenry County, we suggest contacting your local health department to see what sort of free or reduced water testing programs they have available. Many times programs of that nature go under advertised (or not advertised at all).

If no options exist that way, do not simply do nothing… it’s you water, your health… and ultimately your life!

Inexpensive screening methods exist that will allow you to quickly and economically perform basic water tests on your own that will let you know whether or not you should spend the money required for more laboratory testing.

While at-home drinking and well water test kits work as great screening tools, one should not rely on them to fully diagnose every possible water contamination problem.

Sorry this posting has no length, but the point remains: Submerged wells SHOULD get tested before returning to service. Otherwise the risk of contamination by flood water WILL present itself.

Even if you think the cap on your well could withstand the force of 100 hurricanes, don’t ever forget that your neighbor’s well cap may not have received inspection in a number of years and… flood water creeping in through their faulty well cap will eventually reach the aquifer — from which your well draws its water.

Once flood waters go down, owners of private water wells should pump out their wells, allow them to refill/recharge naturally, and disinfect them before using any water they produce for drinking, cooking and in some cases even bathing.

Oh, and of COURSE we suggest getting the well water tested for, at the very LEAST, coliform bacteria before returning it to service.

Contact your local health department to see if they have discounted or free well water testing options available. Many localities will make such options available to residents after flood waters have ravaged an area.

Do-It-Yourself Test Kits for Bacteria

While we STRONGLY suggest testing for bacteria on a regular basis using at-home drinking water test kits such as the EPA Compliant WaterWorks EZ Coliform Cult Bacteria Test Kit which follows the APHA, Standard Methods, 20th Edition, 9221 D, screen test for total coliform in potable water, after a flood situation we ALWAYS suggest having a certified water testing lab analyze the water for bacteria.

Simple Testing Methods for Bacteria?

Yes. Homeowners wishing to test their water for the potential presence of harmful bacteria can use a number of kits such as the 48 Hour Presence/Absence Bacteria Check test kit from Industrial Test Systems, makers of the WaterWorks and SenSafe lines of water quality testing products.

Bacteria Check will not tell you what KIND of coliform bacteria it detected, but it will tell you that the sample water contained at least ONE coliform unit of bacteria in the 100 mL sample and that you may want to get the water professionally evaluated.

Laboratory Testing for Bacteria in Drinking Water?

Should one the aforementioned bacteria test its yield ‘positive results’, you will definitely want to have your water checked for bacterial contamination by a certified drinking water testing laboratory. Your local board of health or state health department should have the ability to provide you with a list of qualified water labs in your area.

If no labs exist nearby, you can also consult with companies such as National Testing Laboratories that offer a decent array of mail-in water testing packages.