What is the recommended immediate action when bacteriological contamination is detected in well water?

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Bacteriological contamination of well water means there is a real risk of illness from any contact with water that could reach the mouth or mucous membranes. The safest immediate action is to stop using the well water for drinking, cooking, washing food, brushing teeth, or bathing and switch to an alternate safe water source. This minimizes exposure while you arrange proper testing and remediation of the well.

Boiling the water can kill bacteria, and if you must use water temporarily, boiling for at least a minute is a protective step. However, it does not fix the contamination at the source, and relying on boiling assumes you have a safe alternate supply for other uses or can tolerate the delay, which is why the recommended immediate action is to stop using the contaminated water and obtain a safe source. Using the water for cooking but not drinking still risks ingestion, and simply adding chlorine without proper dosage and testing does not reliably address the contamination.