Water Warnings After Irene

The Montgomery County Health Department issued the following information.

Due to the recent heavy rains from Hurricane Irene affecting Montgomery County, properties located in low-lying areas or near surface waterways may become flooded. For those properties served by private water supplies, these wells may become covered by floodwater. This condition poses a public health hazard. Wells inundated by floodwater may be contaminated and should not be used until tested.

For those affected by submerged private wells, the Montgomery County Health Department (MCHD) offers the following advice:

• Do not drink the water from your well. Consume only bottled
water.
• Boil all water that you plan to use for consumption for two to five
minutes. Allow the water to cool sufficiently before use to avoid
scalding.
• Once floodwaters have receded, inspect your well to ensure that
it has not been damaged. If there is damage, contact a well
drilling contractor, and continue to drink bottled water until the
well is repaired.
• As a precautionary measure, run the water from an outside
garden hose spigot until the water is clear and free of mud and
sediments. Water should not be consumed until it is tested
and/or shock chlorinated.
• Conduct shock chlorination individually, or contact a
professional well driller or plumbing contractor and have your
well disinfected by chlorination. The well must remain unused
for 8 to 24 hours once shock chlorination is completed. Purge
the water until the chlorine is out of the system. For those
choosing to individually conduct shock chlorination treatment,
fact sheets are available from the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) website or link through the MCHD website.
• Wait several days after chlorination, and have the water tested
for potability.

The MCHD also recommends that residents avoid recreational contact with flood waters due to the unknown amount of raw sewage and waste chemicals that may be present. This applies to both surface waterways and standing surface water remaining from the flood.
Please be advised MCHD’s public health laboratory continues to offer free water testing for bacteria. Please contact the lab at 610-278-5117 for further information, or access the county website or the DEP website.

To protect the health and safety of all residents, MCHD recommends:

• No boating or rowing.
• No swimming, wading or contact with the water.
• No fishing or consumption of fish caught in these waters.
• No pets allowed in the water.