New World Survival Definitive Community Garden Guide

Flooded Community Garden Re-entry, Crop and Soil Decision Workbook

Purpose: Use this workbook after uncontrolled floodwater or off-site runoff enters a community, school, civic, apartment, food-bank or other shared food garden. It helps leaders document what happened, keep people out of unsafe areas, classify crop exposure, identify likely contaminants, record specialist advice, manage cleanup and make a written reopening decision.

Revision: September 6, 2026

Read this before entering the garden.

Do not enter active floodwater to rescue produce, tools or equipment. Floodwater may contain sewage, chemicals, sharp debris, animals and electrical hazards. If there are downed lines, unstable structures, sewage, petroleum sheen, chemical odors, unknown containers or other serious hazards, keep the area closed and use the appropriate emergency, utility, health or environmental authority.

Food-safety boundary

If the edible portion of a crop contacted floodwater, keep it out of human food channels. Do not eat, sell, share, donate, can, freeze, dehydrate or ferment it as a salvage strategy. Underground edible crops in soil covered by floodwater should also be discarded. Crops whose edible portions did not contact floodwater require case-by-case assessment.

1. Incident identification

Garden name

Address / site

Incident date

Flooding began

Water fully receded

Person leading closure

Person completing this record

Record completed / updated

2. Immediate closure check

Condition	Yes / No / Unknown	Action or authority contacted
Standing or moving floodwater remains
Downed or potentially energized electrical lines/equipment
Unstable shed, fence, retaining structure, path or slope
Sewage odor, solids, sewer backup or septic overflow
Petroleum sheen, chemical odor or unknown liquid
Unknown drums, containers or hazardous debris
Sharp debris, broken glass, metal, holes or undermined surfaces
Private well/pump/electrical system submerged
Emergency access route unusable

Current site status: [ ] CLOSED [ ] LIMITED ENTRY [ ] CLEANUP AUTHORIZED [ ] OTHER

Who has authority to change this status?

3. Incident map and high-water line

On the map, mark: water entry and exit, highest water line, affected beds, compost, shed, tool area, water sources, wash station, paths, sediment, debris, odors, sheen, containers and any areas that stayed dry.

Approximate maximum depth:

Approximate duration of inundation:

Photograph file names / locations:

4. Classify the water event

[ ] Rain fell on-site and pooled only, with no known off-site inflow.

[ ] Water flowed or overflowed into the site from outside the garden's control.

[ ] Source is uncertain.

[ ] Municipal sewer or septic overflow is suspected.

[ ] Saltwater/storm surge is involved.

[ ] Other:

5. Trace where the water came from

Possible source	Present upstream / adjacent?	Evidence	Who will verify?
Creek, river, ditch, storm drain
Sanitary sewer / septic
Livestock / manure area
Road / parking / fuel / equipment yard
Industrial / brownfield / landfill / hazardous-waste site
Chemical / fertilizer / pesticide storage
Saltwater / coastal surge
Unknown source

6. Crop disposition record

Do not mix flood-contact, unaffected and unresolved produce.

Bed / crop	Edible portion touched or splashed?	Root crop in flooded soil?	Developed after water receded?	Disposition

Disposition codes: DISCARD / HOLD FOR REVIEW / UNAFFECTED / FUTURE GROWTH REVIEW

Do not preserve or donate flood-contact produce.

A crop does not become safe merely because it can be peeled, cooked, canned, frozen, dried or fermented.

7. Waste and compost control

Where will flood-contact produce and plant residue be staged?

What disposal route has local solid-waste, health or environmental guidance established?

How will the shared compost system be protected from flood residue?

8. Soil question: what are we actually testing?

Routine fertility test completed? [ ] YES [ ] NO

Important: pH and nutrient results do not establish environmental safety.

Suspected contaminant or issue	Why suspected?	Recommended by	Lab / method / sample locations	Result / interpretation
Lead / metals
Petroleum / hydrocarbons
Pesticide / industrial chemical
Salt / salinity
Other

Microbial-testing limit

Record any microbial soil testing as one piece of evidence. Do not treat one negative sample as proof that future produce is pathogen-free. Reopening must also consider flood source, time, drying, reworking, crop choice, harvest route and local guidance.

9. Irrigation and hygiene water status

Water source	Flood affected?	Advisory / inspection / test required?	Cleared by / date
Municipal water
Private well
Pond / creek / surface water
Rainwater / cistern
Handwashing / harvest wash source

10. Cleanup plan

Control	Plan	Person responsible	Complete
Closed zones and signs
PPE appropriate to hazards
Children/public exclusion
Debris disposal
Unknown containers referred
Dirty tool route
Tool cleaning
Dust suppression
Footwear / clothing boundary
Safe handwashing water

11. Local specialist record

Organization / person	Question asked	Guidance received	Date / record location
Cooperative Extension
Health department
State agriculture / food safety
Environmental agency / professional
Water utility / public works
Landowner / insurer / host

12. Replanting and reopening gate

Required condition	Pass / Hold	Evidence
Floodwater fully receded
Ground and structures stable enough for intended use
Electrical, sewage, chemical and debris hazards controlled
High-water line and exposure documented
Flood-contact produce removed from food channels
Uncertain crops resolved or segregated
Contaminant source investigation complete enough for decision
Required chemical testing interpreted
Irrigation and hygiene water cleared
Local replanting / harvest interval identified and met
Tools / affected common areas cleaned
Compost and waste routes protected
Members informed of restrictions

Reopening disposition:

[ ] REOPEN FULLY

[ ] REOPEN WITH RESTRICTIONS

[ ] KEEP AFFECTED AREA CLOSED

[ ] CONVERT TO NONFOOD / CONTROLLED GROWING SYSTEM

[ ] RELOCATE OR REDESIGN BECAUSE FLOODING IS A RECURRING SITE FAILURE

Restrictions / conditions:

Decision made by

Date

13. After-action review

What failed before or during the flood?

What did the team do well?

What infrastructure should move, rise, be protected or be removed from the flood path?

Should the garden remain at this site for edible production?

What must be changed before the next rainy season?

14. Capability check

[ ] I can close the garden before cleanup.

[ ] I can map the flood route and high-water line.

[ ] I can classify crop exposure without relying on appearance.

[ ] I know flood-contact edible produce is discarded.

[ ] I can keep affected crops out of donation and compost streams.

[ ] I can explain why fertility testing is not contaminant testing.

[ ] I can choose contaminant questions from upstream sources.

[ ] I know one negative microbial soil test is not a safety certificate.

[ ] I can verify irrigation water after flooding.

[ ] I can document a defensible reopening decision.

15. Core sources

U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Guidance for Industry: Evaluating the Safety of Flood-affected Food Crops for Human Consumption.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Safety Guidelines: Floodwater and private-well emergency guidance.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, urban agriculture and Brownfields soil-contaminant guidance.
NC State Extension, Managing the Impact of Floodwater Contaminants on Soil and Produce in Residential, Community, and School Vegetable Gardens, revised April 14, 2026.

Local verification is required. Flood source, chemical contamination, private wells, disposal, food regulation and safe replanting intervals vary by event and jurisdiction.