Is All Flood Water Contaminated Black Water?

5/8/2019 (Permalink)

Flooding and water emergencies don't wait for regular business hours

Restoration professionals classify flood water as Category Three water damage. The categories used to describe damage are based on the level of contamination present in water. Learn more about the conditions that tend to cause black water to accumulate during a flood.

Water Sources

The cause of a flood determines the initial level of contamination. There are several common sources of flood water:

• Heavy rains
  
• Rising bodies of surface water
  
• Storm surges
  
• Sewer backups
  
  

Even if this flooding starts as Category Two gray water that does not contain solid waste, contamination can occur as soon as the water travels over land or stands for hours or days. Damage caused by contaminated water must be cleaned, disinfected and dried.

Courses or Paths

Water may accumulate contaminants as it travels through an area. In addition to solid waste, which may be introduced from an overflowing municipal main, this water could also carry other substances that can pose health or safety risks:

• Chemicals
  
• Heavy metals
  
• Microbes
  
  

Depending on where flooding originates and where standing water accumulates, different types of contamination may or may not be present. It is advisable to disinfect any areas exposed to flooding.

Standing Water

Regardless of the initial level of contamination in water, standing water will degrade and become more contaminated over time. Within a matter of days, clean, treated Category One water from a pipe break can degrade into Category Two and eventually Category Three water damage. Damage mitigation and restoration experts recommend timely extraction, cleaning, disinfection and drying.

There are a number of ways in which flood water may become contaminated. If there is a reasonable possibility that water may contain solid waste, any damage it causes will be classified as Category Three damage. If flooding has damaged a commercial building in Cookeville, TN, the property owner or manager should arrange for storm damage mitigation and restoration.