Drinking Water Safety After a Flood | South Carolina Department of Environmental Services

"When In Doubt, Throw It Out"

Illnesses caused by bacteria in water and food can be a serious problem caused by a hurricane or flood. Both loss of power and flooding pose a threat to your water and food supplies. In high water and flooding, food, water and utensils can be contaminated with bacteria, sewage and/or chemical spillage.

All of this can seriously affect the health of you and your family. To reduce the risk of contamination we offer these tips:

If your home has been flooded…

WATER: Don't Drink The Water... Until You're Sure It's Safe

Flooding can contaminate public water supplies and wells. If you are on public water, check with your water provider to be sure it is safe to drink. If you are on a private well and it was flooded, your well needs to be disinfected and the water tested.

Visit the SCDES Well Water Quality Testing page for more information.

A good supply of clean water is a top priority in an emergency. A person who is normally active will consume at least two quarts of water a day. This amount can double during hotter weather. Safe drinking water includes distilled or bottled water that has not come into contact with floodwater. For infants, use only pre-prepared, canned baby formula. Use powdered formulas only when they are prepared with bottled water. Cook, brush your teeth, wash dishes and bathe only with treated or bottled water.

How to make the water safer for you and your family:

Bring water to a rolling boil and keep it there for at least 1 full minute. Then, let it cool before using.
Prepare food using water that has been boiled.
Wash hands with water that has been boiled and cooled.
Wash, rinse and sanitize pots, pans and other equipment with water that has been boiled and cooled.
Strain cloudy water by pouring through a clean cloth.
Rinse containers for storing water with a bleach solution before using and re-using them.
Stop using appliances and equipment that use drinkable water, such as dishwashers, ice makers, tea brewers and coffee makers.
Use disposable paper, plastic or foam plates, cups, forks, etc.
Brush your teeth with either boiled or bottled water.

How to purify bacteria-contaminated water with bleach:

If you cannot boil contaminated water to kill impurities, you can use bleach:
Use unscented liquid chlorine bleach containing 4 to 6 percent available or free chlorine. ("Free" chlorine has not combined with organic matter and is therefore available for killing bacteria and algae.)
Add 1 teaspoon of bleach to every 4 gallons of water.
Let the treated water stand for 30 minutes before drinking or for food-related purposes.

Private Wells

Owners of private drinking water wells should seal their well by plugging or covering all openings to the casing before the storm to help prevent it from becoming contaminated by surface flooding. Wells should be inspected after the storm for damage and any plug or covering on casing vent should be removed.

Private Well Hotline: 1-888-761-5989

If your well has been flooded, it needs to be disinfected and tested after the storm passes and the flood waters recede. Do not use the water from a flooded well until it has been tested. For information on how to have your water tested and your well disinfected, contact your local SCDES Office. For more information, see SCDES Residential Well Disinfection (pdf) or view Emergency Well Disinfection.