Researchers at LSU Health New Orleans School of Public Health and Virginia Tech are offering free well water testing to residents who were affected by the recent Louisiana floods and will study results to better understand the impact of floods on private well water and the effectiveness of prevailing well water disinfection protocols. Test kits will be distributed in French Settlement, LA, but any homeowner with a private water well in the flood-affected area is eligible. There are a limited number of kits, which will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis Thursday and Friday, October 27 and 28, 2016, from 3:00 - 7:00 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 15710 LA Hwy. 16, and First Baptist Church, 16735 LA Hwy. 16.

Residents who want to have their well water tested should pick up a water sampling test kit at one of the locations. Unfiltered water from kitchen taps should be collected first thing in the morning and samples returned to the distribution locations Friday and Saturday, October 28 and 29, 2016, from 6:00 - 10:00 a.m.

The samples will be analyzed for metals and coliform bacteria by Virginia Tech, and confidential water quality results will be mailed to residents’ homes.

“Private water wells that were impacted by the recent flood may be contaminated with water pathogens if they were not properly maintained or disinfected,” says Adrienne Katner, D.Env., Assistant Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at LSU Health New Orleans School of Public Health. “These wells are not regulated by state or federal officials, thus it is up to the well owner to ensure the safety of their water.”

To reserve a kit, or learn more about participating in this free study, email welltesting@lsuhsc.edu or call (504) 568-5942.