Staff Report
Hays County has lifted its boil water advisory for private well water users after water quality concerns following the Memorial Day weekend flood of the Blanco River.
County officials instituted its boil water immediately after the May 24 flood so citizens were aware of some possible issues regarding the safety of their well water. Of particular concern were private well systems inundated by floodwaters.
Hays County has performed a series of water samples from citizens volunteering their wells as sample locations. Those results will be made available as they arrive.
Although the county is lifting the boil water advisory, citizens who are concerned about the drinkability of their well water are encouraged to test or disinfect their water to limit issues with bacteria. According to the County, the complexity of local groundwater sources makes a widespread determination of safety an impossiblity.
Private well owners are not governed by the same drinking water standards that public water supply systems follow. Each indiviual landowner is responsible for testing and treating their own well water. Well owners may have experienced a change in taste, smell, or appearance associated with the significant flooding event.
To check if your well is contaminated with surface runoff, citizens can submit a sample for testing to the Edwards Aquifer Research and Data Center in the Aquatic Biology building on Sessom Drive, across from Salt Grass Steak House, in San Marcos. If you work in Austin you can take the sample to the Lab at LCRA or the TX Department of State Health Services.
You can obtain a sample container and directions to sample. Bring your sample back with the appropriate fee (+-$20) and the sample will be tested for coliform within 24-48 hours. The phone number is 512-245-2329.
