Private Wells
Number of private wells tested that exceeded a safe drinking water level for uranium where property owners were provided technical assistance on best available treatment technologies.
Current Value
4
Definition
Story Behind the Curve
Private well owners may not have tested their wells for uranium when the well was first constructed. On October 1, 2011, the law was changed to give the local director of health of health authority to require a private well to be tested for radionuclides. Through the statewide arsenic and uranium survey and the efforts of Local Health Departments and the Department of Public Health, private well owners are being offered free testing for arsenic and uranium. Private well owners that test for uranium whose results exceed the maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 30 micrograms per liter are provided technical assistance on best available treatment options. The written notification of the uranium result exceeding a MCL also provides the private well owner with information on treatment options so they can make an educated decision to limit future exposure.
These data are current as of February 2019.
Partners
Local Health Departments - Coordinate volunteers from their communities to collect samples.
Public - Homeowners with private wells that volunteer to collect samples.
Department of Public Health Private Well Program - Provides technical assistance to Local Health Departments and private well owners on understanding test results and best available treatment technologies for treatment of arsenic.
Department of Public Health Occupational and Environmental Health Assessment Program - Performs assessments of the risks to human health posed by exposure to arsenic and develops recommendations and educational materials for reducing potentially harmful exposures.
What Works
The Center's for Disease Control states studies show that elevated levels of uranium from any source, including drinking water, can increase a person's risk of kidney damage. The kidney is the most sensitive organ for damage by uranium. Identifying private wells with elevated uranium levels and installing a treatment system will reduce the prevelance of kidney damage.
Action Plan
The Department of Public Health provides technical assistance on treatment system is provided to private well owners with elevated uranium levels.
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