Making sure your well water is safe to drink after a flood Published: July 8, 2021 4:53 PM EDT Updated: July 8, 2021 5:41 PM EDT Recommended Tropical Storm Elsa brought a lot of rain into Southwest Florida, even flooding some areas, and these flooding events can contaminate well water with bacteria. Hundreds of homes in our area rely on private wells for drinking water, but now, at least for a little while, families may need to look elsewhere. “After a flooding event, wells tend to have bacterial contamination,” said Yilin Zhuang, Ph.D., water resources regional specialized agent with the UF/IFAS Extension. “That’ll cause some symptoms of infections such as diarrhea, vomiting, nausea,” said Dr. Mary Beth Saunders, an infectious diseases specialist with Lee Health.