| SARASOTA — The Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County (DOH-Sarasota) advises residents living in homes with private wells affected by flood waters to take precautions against disease-causing organisms that may make their water unsafe to drink. DOH-Sarasota recommends ONE of the following:1. Boil tap water and hold it at a rolling boil for at least one minute. Let it cool before using it for drinking, brushing teeth, washing food, cooking, making ice, or washing dishes; 2. OR disinfect tap water by adding eight drops of plain, unscented household bleach (4 to 6% strength), which is about 1/8 tsp per gallon of water. If a higher strength bleach is used (8.25%), only add seven drops of bleach. Mix the solution and let it stand for 30 minutes. If the water is cloudy after 30 minutes, repeat the procedure once. Note: Use a container with a cap or cover to disinfect and store water for drinking. Doing so will prevent contamination. In addition, containers for water should be rinsed with a bleach solution of one tablespoon bleach per gallon of water before reusing them. 3. OR use commercially available bottled water, especially for mixing baby formula. After the flooding subsides:· Disinfect your private well using the procedures available from DOH-Sarasota or visit the Florida Department of Health website: https://www.floridahealth.gov/environmental-health/private-well-testing/index.html · You may also visit the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (US EPA) website for instructions: http://water.epa.gov/drink/info/well/whatdo.cfm. · To know if your water is safe, DOH-Sarasota offers no-cost microbiological water test kits to Sarasota County residents whose wells have been disinfected after flooding. Please call 861-6133 for more information. ### |
| About the Florida Department of Health:The Department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.Follow us on Twitter at @HealthyFla and on Facebook. For more information about the Florida Department of Health please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov. |