Flood water along the Withlacoochee River in Hernando County has gone down, but now flood victims have a new water problem. The water is not safe to drink in many flooded areas.
Glen Spicer’s well got flooded. He said, "I’ve got to retreat it, I treated it once. I’ve got to do it again."
Because everyone south of Reynolds street near Ridge Manor uses well water, several homes near the Withlcoochee had their wells flooded.
Now Spicer is using a two parts water, and one part bleach mixture to kill the bacteria. He pours the mixture down the well, then runs the faucet.
Spicer said, "Now I have to wait till I can smell the bleach and then I turn it off and let it sit for an hour."
Spicer hopes the second attempt will make the water drinkable.
A few miles away the water has gone down at Mike Lyles' home and they have power back.
Lyles said, "We have electricity again which is wonderful."
Now they’re not only trying to clean up, but their septic tanks are an issue.
Lyles said, "The septic tank filled up because of the flood water so now we have to have it pumped."
Like many others, Lyles and Spicer say they’re playing the waiting game. Waiting to re-test the water, waiting for the septic people, and waiting for things to some day return to normal.
