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Paper No. 81-5
Presentation Time: 9:10 AM
GAPS AND CHALLENGES IN ADDRESSING NATURALLY OCCURRING RADIONUCLIDES IN HOUSEHOLD WELL WATER IN WAKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
Following public concern about manmade contaminants in individual household well water, Wake County, North Carolina created a program to encourage residents to voluntarily test their own water-supply wells and to provide technical advice about groundwater contamination. After several years of data collection, an analysis showed that manmade contaminants greater than federal drinking water standards were detected in approximately 1% of well water samples. Naturally occurring radionuclides above standards were present in 10% of well water samples county-wide, with 20 – 50% exceeding standards from the eastern half of the county. The bedrock of that area is comprised of relatively young (Pennsylvanian age) granite. Within two years, the program shifted focus to put significantly more effort towards addressing natural contamination. Gaps were identified in the general public’s understanding of naturally occurring subsurface contamination. Technical assistance specific to natural contamination was developed and training provided to residents, water treatment professionals, the medical community, real estate agents, and more. Funding sources for low-income households to be able to obtain testing, and when necessary, drinking water treatment are not comparable to those associated with manmade contamination. Sometimes they explicitly exclude natural contamination in part due to concerns about fund sustainability. Experience has brought to light several questions:
- What is an effective framework for governmental agencies, non-profit organizations and community groups to work together to decrease the consumption of well water contaminated with naturally occurring contaminants without a unifying source of funding similar to that created by CERCLA?
- What are best practices from the groundwater contamination enforcement, public health, and community development fields?
- How can geologists contribute?
The challenges of addressing naturally occurring contamination in household wells sit at the intersection of public health, individual responsibility, and technical understanding. It is important to utilize a full set of tools to address them.