After a Flood: Private Drinking Water Guidance | Vermont Department of Health

After a Flood: Private Drinking Water Guidance | Vermont Department of Health
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Translations for you
After a Flood: Private Drinking Water Guidance
Drinking Water
Private Drinking Water
Public Drinking Water
How to Test Your Drinking Water
How to Treat Your Drinking Water
How to Disinfect Your Drinking Water
New Drilled Well Testing: What You Need to Know
Drought and Your Well
After a Flood: Private Drinking Water Guidance
Legionella in Building Water Systems
Flooding Can Contaminate Your Well or Spring
Assume your water is contaminated if floodwater has reached your well or spring, and do not use it until you have it tested and know it is safe.
Water may not be safe to use for drinking, cooking or making baby formula after a flood. During and after flooding, private wells and springs can become contaminated with bacteria, microorganisms and other pollutants from sewage, heating oil, agricultural or industrial waste, chemicals, and other substances that can cause serious illness.
The information on this page is for residential private water systems (wells and springs).
If you get your residential drinking water from a private intake of lake or surface water source,
do not use the water
and contact a
Department of Environmental Conservation regional engineer
for guidance.
If you pay a water bill, you are on public water.
Please go to the
Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Flood Recovery website
for more information.
Important Links
Where to Get Safe Water
Retest your well/spring after treatment
How to Test Your Drinking Water (Well/Spring)
Understanding Your Water Test Results
Translated Information
Guidance for wells and springs after a flood in:
العربية (Arabic)
မြန်မာစာ (Burmese)
دری (Dari)
Français (French)
Kirundi
नेपाली (Nepali)
پښتو (Pashto)
Soomaali (Somali)
Español (Spanish)
American Sign Language (ASL)
Flooding Near Your Well or Spring
Do not use the water from your well or spring until you have it tested and you know it's safe,
especially if:
It was or is covered with floodwater or located near flooding
It smells sweet or smells like fuel or chemicals, or is near a suspected fuel or chemical spill
Inspect Your Water System for Flood Impacts
If you are unsure if flooding has reached your water system, look for debris and mud around your well or spring. There may be water or mud stains on or in your system. These are signs that your system was flooded.
If it is safe to do so, inspect electrical components:
Look for exposed/damaged wiring or electrical components.
Check whether water entered any electrical components. Do not touch electrical wires.
If electrical connections or controls located outside the well casing or spring box remain submerged, do not turn on the pump until the floodwater has gone down.
Check for damaged structural components of the water system.
Check the well casing. A bent/cracked well casing may allow water, sediment and debris to enter the well and increase the risk of contamination.
Check the well cap and seal to make sure they are securely fastened to the well casing. Sediment and debris may enter the well through a loose well cap.
Inspect spring box tiles and structural components to see if they are sealed and stayed in place.
If your water system appears severely damaged, call a
licensed well driller
or your
regional engineer
If heating fuel or chemicals are known to have been spilled near your well or spring, call the
Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Spill Management
during business hours (7:45 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.) at 802-828-1138 or outside business hours at 800-641-5005 to report the spill.
Do not drink the water
if you suspect a fuel or chemical spill has impacted your well or if your water smells sweet or like fuel or chemicals.
You may also be having problems with your septic system.
Find resources to help you with your septic system
If Your Well or Spring Has Been Affected by Flooding
Bacteria
are the most common drinking water contaminants after a flood. Bacteria can make you sick. Do not drink your water until you have it tested.
Until your water has been tested and your results show that both total coliform and
E. coli
bacteria were "not detected,"
do not use your water
for:
Drinking
Cooking
Washing dishes
Making juice or ice
Washing fruit and vegetables
Brushing teeth
Preparing baby formula
Get water from a known safe source.
Fill food-safe containers with water from a known safe source, like the town library, town hall, fire department, school, church or town office with permission from the building owner or water supplier.
Buy bottled water.
Buy water from a bulk water hauler and fill up a water tank.
Find a list of bulk water haulers
or search the internet for "bulk water haulers Vermont." Make sure the water hauler only uses the equipment for potable drinking water, that the water comes from a regulated Public Community Water System and that they test the water for adequate disinfectant levels.
Do not
fill your contaminated well or spring with water from a water hauler. Instead, keep the water in food-safe containers.
If getting water from a known safe source is not possible,
boil your water for one minute
to kill bacteria and other microorganisms that may be in the water. Do not boil water if you:
Smell or see signs of chemicals in your water.
Think there was a nearby fuel or chemical spill.
See that the water is cloudy or full of sediments.
How to Test Your Drinking Water
You can
purchase a flood drinking water test kit online
Before taking a water sample:
Remove any visible mud, sediment, and other debris from around the well casing or from within the spring box.
If your water is muddy or cloudy, flush your system by running the water from an outside spigot with a hose attached until the water becomes clear and free of sediments. This may take 30 minutes to several hours or days, depending on the size and depth of the well or spring and extent of contamination. Once the water is clear, then you can take the sample.
Follow the
instructions in the test kit
for taking the sample. Make sure you take the sample the same day you are returning it.
Watch a video with step-by-step instructions
Return the sample to the Health Department Lab or the closest local health office Monday through Thursday.
Check the schedule
to see when the sample needs to be returned.
You should receive your bacteria results within two business days.
Until the test results show that total coliform and
E. coli
bacteria were "not detected," do not use the water
. Get water from a safe known source or boil it for one minute before using it.
After You Receive Your Results
If your results show that bacteria were "detected,"
follow steps to disinfect your well or spring
after the floodwater has gone down. If you need help disinfecting your well or spring, contact a
local well driller
or
water quality expert
After disinfecting your well or spring, retest your water for bacteria 2 to 3 days after the smell of chlorine is gone.
Order another flood drinking water test kit
. If you can't order online, call 802-338-4724 or 800-660-9997 (toll-free in Vermont) or contact your
local health office
Download private drinking water guidance in a PDF
If you have further questions after reviewing the information on this page, call
802-489-7339
. If you need to leave a voicemail, a Health Department employee will call you back as soon as possible.
Learn maintenance tips to protect your well or spring
Emergency Information and Resources
Dial 911 for Fire, Police or Ambulance
Dial 2-1-1
for health and human services information, or visit
vermont211.org
for shelters
Visit
511vt.gov
for Vermont road conditions
National Weather Service
Vermont Emergency Management
If you own a food or lodging business, call the
Food & Lodging Program
at 802-863-7221 or 800-439-8550 (toll-free in Vermont)
More Information
Flood Recovery Resources (Agency of Natural Resources)
How to Stay Safe in a Flood
Topics:
Chemical Contaminants
Drinking Water
Emergency Response
February 10, 2026