Have you had problems with flooding?  Did your well water turn muddy?
It’s important to keep your well water safe to drink.  If you have
concerns, you can have your well water tested through the Platte County
Extension office.  Pick up sample bags and instructions from the
Extension office, on the west side of the Platte County Fairgrounds.
The cost varies according to what you want tested.
 Every new well, or existing water supply systems that have been
disrupted for service or repair, should be disinfected before used again
for drinking water or washing dishes.  Water in the wells and storage
tanks should be treated with a strong chlorine solution to destroy
disease organisms.  All pipelines and fixtures in the distribution
system should be rinsed and flushed with chlorinated water.
 The chlorine source can be ordinary household liquid laundry bleach
(about 5.25% available chlorine).  The quantity required depends on the
volume of water to be treated.  The US Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) indicates that about 100 parts of chlorine, by weight, mixed in a
million parts of water will destroy essentially all water-borne disease
organisms.   There are also kits available from your well maintenance
dealer, which include their own directions on disinfecting your well.
 For drilled wells, remove the cap or seal from the casing and measure
the well water depth.   For a 10-inch diameter well, add two cups of
5.25% chlorine bleach for every 10 feet of well depth.  If your well is
a different diameter, call the Extension office for more specific
instructions, 307-322-3667.
 Mix the required amount of chlorine disinfectant with a few gallons of
water in a plastic bucket and pour it into the well.  If the seal has a
removable vent, unscrew the pipe or plug and pour the disinfecting
solution through the hole into the well.  For maximum effectiveness, the
chlorine must be mixed with the water in the well.  This can be
accomplished by connecting a hose to a faucet beyond the pressure tank,
and circulating the water from the tank back into the casing.  After
about 15 minutes, close this faucet, open another at the far end of the
distribution line and let the water run until the odor of chlorine can
be detected.
 Close this faucet and repeat the procedure for each of the other
outlets on the line until chlorinated water can be detected throughout
the entire system.  Keep this water in the pipeline for at least 6 hours
(preferably over-night), then start the pump and flush the system.
Continue pumping until the odor of chlorine disappears.
 If you have problems with your well, the Platte County Extension office
has numerous bulletins on well maintenance and safety.  Have your well
water tested at least on an annual basis for the safety of your
family

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Source: Wooding, N. H., “How to Disinfect a Water System”, Pennsylvania
State University Cooperative Extension.