People living or working in recently flooded buildings that rely on private wells or springs should still be drinking and cooking with bottled water while they await testing results, state health and environmental officials said this week.
The Vermont Department of Health Laboratory is providing free water testing for bacteria and nitrogen compounds to anyone who is not on a public water system; those systems have operators responsible for their own testing. State officials are urging people to take water samples and to be cautious until the results are in.
“If you are suspecting that flooding or floodwaters impacted your drinking water system for any reason, we would recommend this,” said Bridget O’Brien, environmental health program manager at the Vermont Department of Health.
Test kits can be found at flooding resource centers being set up in affected areas around the state. Pop-up centers are either open or will be soon in Jamaica, Johnson, Montpelier and Plainfield. The test kits are also available at any Vermont Department of Health regional office. The department will also mail a test kit to you if you call the lab’s customer service phone line.
The health department lab has shipped out more than 2,800 testing kits over the past two weeks, more than are usually processed over an entire year, “with more shipped out every day,” O’Brien said.
As of 5 p.m. Thursday, just under 400 samples had been received by the state laboratory, according to the health department. That may not include samples dropped off at the regional health offices yesterday that would then be couriered to the lab. A lag between when a test kit is picked up and when a sample is delivered back is not surprising, O’Brien said.
In the immediate aftermath of the mid-July flooding, at least 11 municipal water systems issued “do not drink” or “boil water” notices, as did other types of public water systems from campgrounds to schools.
Almost all those orders have been lifted, except for “boil water” orders for the Marshfield village water system, some Stratton Mountain condos, a private campground in Andover and a public one in Ludlow, a market in Londonderry and schools in Leicester and Weston, according to a list kept up-to-date by the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources.
However, the agency estimates that between 30% and 40% of all Vermonters rely on private drinking water sources. Until testing proves otherwise, wells and springs that were touched by floodwaters should not be used for drinking, cooking, washing dishes or fruit, or brushing teeth, the health department advises.
This is a concern for wells that had flooding around them, no matter the water’s depth, O’Brien said. The water does not need to have gone above the wellhead to have deposited harmful bacteria or nitrates, she said.
Springs can be particularly sensitive and should be tested if flood water was in close proximity. “Springs are actually especially susceptible to contamination just because the water that they pull from is not as deep as a well,” said O’Brien.
Bottle water is usually available in bulk at state flood resource centers. Officials also suggest trying to fill up food-safe bottles at public locations such as town offices, public libraries and fire departments, and the agency is also offering information on where to call for bulk water delivery.
If another source of drinking water is not available, officials advise that water should be boiled for at least one minute to kill bacteria or other organisms that may be present. However, the boiled water should not be used for preparing baby formula in any instance, and should not be imbibed if it is cloudy with sediment.
Also, notably, boiling water will not remove nitrogen compounds, which can come from agricultural runoff or a failed septic system. Those compounds are particularly toxic to infants and very young children and can result in poor oxygen circulation, which can cause a child’s skin to look bluish or brownish, requiring immediate medical attention.
If the flooding was accompanied by a nearby spill of propane or petroleum, people should request a separate test and should also avoid using the water for personal uses such as showering, O’Brien said.
The test kits include directions on how to take the samples, and additional information is available online. The completed samples must be brought to a regional health office on the same day that the samples are collected, or can be driven directly to the state health laboratory in Colchester, she said.
The quickest way to receive test results is by providing an email address in the paperwork that needs to accompany the samples. The health department’s website also includes guidance on how to interpret the results once they are received.
If bacteria or nitrogen compounds are found in concentrations above what is safe, the department has a webpage that describes options for treatment, including detailed instructions for how to disinfect your well or spring yourself by using chlorine. It is not likely to require an expensive fix.
“Most people, this is something that they will do on their own,” O’Brien said. “That’s kind of standard practice.”
