Clean Water Crisis: Private Wells in North Carolina at Risk After Hurricane

Weeks after Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina, many residents still don't have clean water. Over 150, 000 people using municipal water are under boil-water advisories. Shockingly, about 40% of tested private wells are unsafe. This isn't new; 42 million Americans rely on private wells, which aren't regulated. When floods hit, contaminants like sewage and pesticides can get in. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent mobile labs and found that about 40% of tested wells were contaminated with harmful bacteria like E. coli. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services also tested wells and found similar results. These numbers are alarming but preliminary, and more testing is needed. Researchers estimate that up to 90, 000 private wells could be at risk. After Hurricane Florence in 2018, E. coli contamination rates were nearly eight times higher in flooded areas. Helene hit harder, damaging wells and causing more issues like snapped well casings. The problem is, nobody knows exactly where all these private wells are. They aren't tracked by the federal government or most states. This makes it hard to help people. The last census to ask about wells was in 1990. Now, we rely on guesses based on population growth and where municipal water systems end. "That's been one of the biggest challenges, " said Kelsey Pieper, an assistant professor at Northeastern University. "We know there's a lot of reliance, but the actual numbers, no one knows. "