# What should I do after my well floods? > Floodwater over a well in Suffolk: power safety, treating the water as unsafe, disinfection, testing and checking the pump. Follow these steps in order. URL: https://wellbornesuffolkwellpumprepair.com/guide/flooded-well/ Learn Power off, bottled water, and nothing from the tap until the well is disinfected and tested. If floodwater has covered or reached your wellhead, keep the pump's power off, stay away from submerged electrics, and use bottled water. Floodwater can enter through the cap or a cracked casing, so the well must be pumped out, disinfected and tested for bacteria before the water is used. The pump, control box and switch should be tested before they are powered up again. Key points - Power off to the pump until it has been checked. - Treat the water as unsafe until disinfected and tested. - Muddy water needs a full flush before disinfection works. - Check the cap, casing and electrics before restarting. [Wellborne](https://wellbornesuffolkwellpumprepair.com/) helps owners recover wells after storms across Suffolk and the surrounding area. Low ground near the Nansemond and James rivers, around Back Bay and along tidal creeks can flood in a hurricane or a storm surge, and a flooded well needs a careful restart. ## 1. Electrical safety first Water and the pump’s electrics do not mix. If floodwater has reached the wellhead, the well house, the control box or the panel: - **Switch off the pump at the breaker,** or at the main if the panel itself was wet, and only if you can reach it safely. - **Stay out of standing water** near anything electrical. - **Do not restart the pump** until the control box, [pressure switch](https://wellbornesuffolkwellpumprepair.com/pressure-switch-and-control-box-repair/) and wiring have been checked and dried. ## 2. Treat the water as unsafe Floodwater carries surface contamination, sewage from overwhelmed septic systems, fuel and chemicals. It can enter a well through a loose or submerged cap, a cracked casing, failed grout or a casing that ends below grade. Older bored and dug wells, with wide openings and shallow water, are the most exposed. Until the well has been disinfected and tested, use bottled water for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth and preparing baby formula. ## 3. Check the wellhead Once the water recedes, look at the top of the well. Is the cap still in place and sealed? Is the casing cracked or bent? Did sediment wash into the top? A damaged cap or casing has to be repaired before disinfection, or the well will be recontaminated by the next rain. ## 4. Test the equipment before power A [submersible pump](https://wellbornesuffolkwellpumprepair.com/submersible-well-pump-repair/) and motor are built to sit underwater, so the part down the well may be fine. The surface parts are not: the control box, pressure switch and any wiring that was submerged need inspection, drying or replacement. An insulation test on the motor and cable confirms they are safe to power up. A [jet pump](https://wellbornesuffolkwellpumprepair.com/jet-pump-repair/) in a flooded well house usually needs its motor checked or replaced. ## 5. Pump out, disinfect, flush, test If the water is muddy or cloudy, the well is pumped until it runs clear, because chlorine is used up by sediment and organic material. Then the well is disinfected. Virginia’s private well rules set a minimum of 100 mg/L of chlorine held for 24 hours, or an equivalent of at least 1,000 contact units (milligrams per liter times hours). The chlorinated water is run through the household plumbing too. After the contact time, the system is flushed until the chlorine is gone, and a [bacteria sample](https://wellbornesuffolkwellpumprepair.com/guide/testing-well-water-after-pump-work/) is taken from a cold tap. The water is used for drinking only once that test is clear. If it is not clear, the source of contamination is investigated before disinfecting again. ## Irrigation and non-drinking wells [Irrigation wells](https://wellbornesuffolkwellpumprepair.com/irrigation-well-pump-repair/) that flooded also need their electrics checked before power is restored. They do not need drinking-water testing, but disinfection is still worth considering if the water is used where people or pets contact it. ## Septic systems nearby Flooding also affects septic systems. A septic tank and drainfield under water cannot treat waste, and their contents can spread. If the septic system near the well flooded, have it checked too, and do not overload it while the ground is saturated. ## After the flood Keep the disinfection and test records. Retest a few weeks later to confirm the result holds, and at the usual annual interval after that. If your area floods regularly, it is worth asking whether the casing can be extended above the flood level; extending the casing above ground is not treated as a well alteration under Virginia’s rules. For help after a flood, call [(757) 919-1972](tel:+17579191972). Related service [No water from the well](https://wellbornesuffolkwellpumprepair.com/no-water-from-well/) More guides - [Testing well water after pump work](https://wellbornesuffolkwellpumprepair.com/guide/testing-well-water-after-pump-work/) - [Well pump after a power outage](https://wellbornesuffolkwellpumprepair.com/guide/well-pump-after-power-outage/) - [Sand and sediment in well water](https://wellbornesuffolkwellpumprepair.com/guide/sand-and-sediment-in-well-water/) - [How Suffolk well systems work](https://wellbornesuffolkwellpumprepair.com/guide/suffolk-well-systems/) ## Questions people ask ### Can I just pour bleach in my well after a flood? Disinfection works only after the floodwater and sediment have been pumped out, and the dose and contact time matter. Virginia's rules set a minimum of 100 mg/L chlorine for 24 hours or an equivalent. A rushed bleaching of a muddy well often fails the follow-up test. ### How long before I can drink the water? Until the well has been flushed, disinfected, flushed again to remove the chlorine, and a bacteria test comes back clear. Expect several days at least. ### Does my pump need replacing after a flood? Not necessarily. A submersible is designed to sit underwater, but its surface electrics, control box and switch may not be. Test before powering up; a flooded control box or switch is often replaced.