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March 25, 2008
Little Rock--Officials at the Arkansas Department of Health are warning that drinking water taken from private wells that have been flooded may not be safe. Drinking water wells that have been flooded should be disinfected and tested prior to human use. Directions for disinfecting water wells and sample containers are available at local county health units. The Health Department will test samples from flooded wells that have been disinfected at no cost.
According to Randy Lee, director of the Center for Local Public Health at the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH), “Flooded septic tank systems cannot be expected to perform properly until the soil dries out and the liquid level in the septic tank or treatment unit returns to normal. This can take several days to weeks depending on the soil conditions at each property.”
“Homeowners should wait before using water inside their structure since that would overload their sewage systems possibly causing permanent damage,” Lee said. “Such damage could result in untreated sewage backing up into the house or pooling in the yard.”
Having the septic tank pumped out by a licensed septic tank cleaner will speed the process of the liquid level in the tank returning to normal. However, this will not speed up soil drying. Owners should make sure the pumper truck and other vehicular traffic does not cross the soil absorption area. Rutting in the soil absorption area will cause sewage to surface in the yard.
For more information on food and water safety following a flood, please contact the Environmental Health Specialist in your local county health unit, or visit our website at www.healthyarkansas.com .
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