MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The Minnesota Department of Health is warning July 4 vacationers in northeastern Minnesota not to swim in, play around or drink floodwater for it might be contaminated with sewage and sickening germs.

The warning, however, does not apply to Lake Superior waters outside the Duluth Harbor.

Those with private wells will also want to be cautious concerning floodwater.

Aggie Leitheiser, an assistant commissioner for the department, said that people with private wells should assume their wells are contaminated if the well casing was under water or if floodwater came within 50 feet of the well head.

“Water from these wells should not be used for drinking or cooking until the floodwater recedes and the wells are tested,” she said. “Wells that were in direct contact with flood water should be flushed and disinfected before they are tested.”

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