EFFECTIVE LOCAL GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO NATURALLY OCCURRING RADIONUCLIDE CONTAMINATION IN PRIVATE WELLS: A CASE STUDY

Approximately 40,000 Wake County (NC) households rely on private wells for their water supply. Testing by Wake County Environmental Services (WCES) reveals that geogenic uranium and radon exceed health-based standards or guidelines in over 10% of wells in the county. As of early 2019, fewer than 1,000 private wells in the county had been tested for these contaminants. Testing for these contaminants is not required under state regulations for private wells.

Considering the prevalence of these contaminants and the gaps in voluntary and required testing, WCES in 2019 enacted new testing regulations for private wells and carried out an aggressive public notification campaign to increase voluntary testing for these contaminants. This presentation will provide an overview of the occurrence of these contaminants and the impact of the notification campaign and lessons learned from it.