Well Water Testing Workshop COAL CREEK CANYON March 22 2018 Roy Laws / Jon Vickery Jefferson County Public Health

Presentation Outline Water Quality, Quantity and Health Well Construction & Maintenance Septic System Maintenance Q&A time

Resources - Brochures It’s Your Water Nitrate Removal Well Construction Advisory Septic System Maintenance Water Well Records Septic System Records

Resources - Websites Jefferson County Public Health Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Environmental Protection Agency EPA Private Wells Montana State University Extension Water Quality Videos https://www.youtube.com/user/MSUExtWaterQuality/videos

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Water Wells – Water Quality Water quality is tied to geology and hydrology Localized ‘taste and odor’ issues Hardness/acidity of the water Radioactivity in the water Water quality from private wells is unregulated You can drink whatever you can pump out Problems are not widespread, but do occur YOU are the ‘water plant’ operator!

WHY TEST? Wells are a PRIVATE water supply no one else will do it for you Need to know so you can treat the water NO enforceable standards for private wells WHEN TO TEST? Property transactions Baseline testing for broad spectrum of contaminants Annual testing for bacteria (pick a date!)

RECOMMENDED BASIC TESTING BACTERIA Total coliform, with further tests if positive Can also indicate well construction issues NITRATES (baseline) FLUORIDES (baseline) Can cause dental issues in younger children (mottling)

Bacteria is the “Canary in the Coal Mine” There should be NO bacteria in well water Identifies pathway for other contaminants

ADDITIONAL TESTING MINING AREAS COMMERCIAL AREAS Additional minerals and heavy metals such as cadmium, arsenic, lead, etc. COMMERCIAL AREAS Hydrocarbons, BTEX, herbicides, metals SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHIC AREAS Uranium, Radium, Radon in Water (if air levels are high) Hardness, pH

A LA CARTE or PACKAGE TEST? A la Carte for specific or limited testing Package tests can save money Real Estate/HUD coliform bacteria, lead, nitrate and nitrite Deluxe Colorado Package (alkalinity, arsenic, cadmium, calcium, coliform bacteria, chloride, conductivity, copper, corrosivity, fluoride, hardness, iron, lead, magnesium, manganese, nitrate/nitrite, pH, sodium, sodium adsorption ratio, sulfate, total dissolved solids, uranium, zinc)

TESTING RESOURCES Private Laboratories State Health Department Lab Look for EPA certification Can often collect samples in the field State Health Department Lab Conducts a variety of tests Does not perform field collection Located at Lowry Transport available from JCPH offices ($10 fee)

Treatment Technologies Shock Chlorinate the Well Ultraviolet (UV) Cartridge Filters Reverse Osmosis Air Strippers

Point of Use Reverse Osmosis Unit Installed Under a Kitchen Sink

Water Well Construction – Hand Dug

Dug Wells Can Be HUGE and DEEP

Water Well Construction – BIG Rigs

ACCESS ISSUES for DRILLING?

Water Well Construction - Basics

Water Well Construction in Fractured Rock Areas

Coal Creek Canyon Watershed Partnership Workshop Do You Have Uranium in Your Drinking Water? If So, Here Are Some Things To Know. Coal Creek Canyon Watershed Partnership Workshop

Overview What is Uranium? Where does it come from? Why is it a problem? How is it treated? CCCWP Data Wondervu Case Study Take Away Message I have attached a table that sums up the 4 rounds of testing CCCWP has completed.  Of course we should also go into basic well testing information such as e coli, but residents are still  not educated completely on Uranium.  There will be many different kinds of residents at this event. Ones that have tested already, ones that haven't tested their well water for anything, and some that have already tested positive for uranium and are looking for advice.  We can decide how to best organize this on Monday.  Thank you! Best, Jackie

What is Uranium? Uranium is a naturally occurring radioactive element Natural Uranium gives off very small amounts of radiation Natural Uranium poses little radioactive danger Refined Uranium is almost as strong as steel and heavier than lead

Where Does Uranium Come From? Low levels of Uranium is found almost everywhere Rocks, soil, surface and groundwater, air, and plants and animals all contain varying amounts of Uranium Uranium in groundwater is dissolved from naturally occurring deposits of Uranium in rock formations Typically at low levels in groundwater, higher levels occur in the vicinity of Uranium ore deposits In Colorado we have a lot of Uranium ore deposits! The more uranium there is in the rocks where you live, the more uranium you are likely to find in the groundwater.

Why Is Uranium In Drinking Water A Problem? Ingesting high levels of uranium may be associated with an increased risk of kidney damage EPA estimates ingesting high levels of uranium in drinking water may result in additional lifetime cancer risk of 1:10,000 What Does That Mean?

Why Is Uranium In Drinking Water A Problem? Drinking 2 liters of water per day than contains 30 micrograms per liter of Uranium for 70 years might result in one additional fatal cancer in 10,000 people Health effects are chronic rather than acute Individual risk depends on concentration, how much water was consumed and for how long, the age and general health of the individual. Source: University of Nebraska, Drinking Water: Uranium, G1569, November 2008

How Do I Get The Uranium Out Of My Drinking Water? Treatment that remove uranium from water Reverse osmosis Lime softening Ion exchange using cation and/or anion resins Several effective means of reducing the uranium content in ground and surface water supplies. The best treatment method would have to be determined for individual applications and requirements.

Coal Creek Canyon Watershed Partnership Data ROUND SAMPLES BELOW 30 PPB ABOVE 30 PPB RANGE MARCH 2016 20 10 30 to 200 PPB JULY 2016 16 8 31 to 100 PPB MARCH 17 33 24 9 32 to 210 PPB JULY 2017 46 26 33 to 550 PPB 1 at 1,200 PPB The safe drinking water standard for Uranium is 30 PPB PPB = PARTS PER BILLION 0.03 milligrams / Liter = 30 micrograms / Liter = 30 parts per billion

Jon Vickery, REHS Roy Laws, PE Q & A Time! Environmental Health Services Division 645 Parfet Street, Lakewood CO 80215 303 271-5734 rlaws@jeffco.us