Dealing with a flooded garden or lawn

Q: Our community garden has been flooded twice from a creek we think has toxic material in it. Where can we send a soil sample to test toxicity? 

A: Testing for “toxicity” is an inexact and frustrating process. You have to specify what to test for in order to get a positive or negative result. There could be dozens of bad things in flood water besides E. coli and heavy metals.

I found a great resource for gardening in flood-prone areas at Managing a flooded garden.

Also see Storm Damage in the landscape

Using produce from a flooded garden

Gardens after a flood

Dealing with a flooded lawn

Caring for a water-logged lawn