Central North Carolina homeowners have another reason to brace for this week's heavy rain: floodwater can wash sewage, pesticides and other pollutants straight into private wells.
Approximately 2.4 million North Carolinians, or one in four residents, rely on private wells for their drinking water.
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Tropical Depression Chantal already dropped record rainfall across parts of the Triangle late Sunday into Monday. There were more downpours Wednesday night, and WRAL meteorologists expect another round of storms between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Thursday.
Haw River Assembly is distributing free test kits for well owners affected by floods starting Thursday.
“We want to treat everything as if it’s contaminated, especially wells,” said Anita Moore with Haw River Assembly. “If water went above your well, it’s more than likely that it was impacted.”
Free E. coli test kits
Haw River Assembly will hand out roughly 600 E. coli test kits this week. Results are returned in about 24 hours.
How it works: Pick up a kit with a sterile bottle at one of the sites, follow the instructions to collect a sample from your kitchen or bathroom tap, then return the bottle to the same location. Do not bring water from home in your own container; only samples collected in the provided bottle can be analyzed.
State health tips for well owners
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services recommends:
- Before flooding: Store bottled water, shut off power to the pump and wrap the wellhead in a heavy-duty trash bag sealed with waterproof tape.
- After flooding, keep the pump off until the area is dry. Use bottled or boiled water until your well tests are clear. If you find contamination, hire a licensed driller to shock-chlorinate.
- Bacterial testing kits are available through county health departments and certified labs; you can’t see, taste or smell E. coli.