WELLS (AP) – At least 80 wells have tested positive for contamination in the wake of flooding in York County, and the percentage is within the range of what was expected following the flood, officials said.

The 80 wells represent about 14 percent of the samples tested; so far there have been no significant clusters of wells with bacteria or other contaminants, said Robert Bohlmann, director of the York County Emergency Management Agency.

About 800 test kits have been distributed since the floods, which caused an estimated $7.4 million in public property damage, Bohlmann said.

York and Wells, two hard-hit towns, had most of the contaminated wells, said Bruce Fitzgerald, spokesman for the Maine Emergency Management Agency.

Fitzgerald said the 80 homeowners notified of contamination were among up to 500 residents who submitted samples last week, he said. Local officials said a neighborhood in York Beach is the only area they know of so far with a pattern of contaminated wells.

State officials collected another batch of well water samples earlier this week. Fitzgerald said results of those tests should be available by Friday.

Dr. Dora Anne Mills, Maine’s public health director, advised homeowners to get their water tested if they think their well was flooded, or if they notice a change in the way their water smells or tastes. Residents who think their drinking source may be contaminated should boil their water for at least five minutes before cooking, drinking or washing dishes, she said.

Wells resident Thelma Maling is heeding the advice and boiling her water while she awaits test results from a water sample provided last week.

Maling said she noticed an alarming discoloration in her water the day before she submitted the sample. She said she boiled some water and left it in a kettle while she did the dishes. When she returned, the bottom of her kettle “was all brown.”

AP-ES-06-01-06 0216EDT