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

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

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

4. 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

5. H2O

6. 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!

7. 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!)

8. 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)

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

10. 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

11. 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)

12. 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)

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

14. Point of Use Reverse Osmosis Unit Installed Under a Kitchen Sink

15. Water Well Construction – Hand Dug

16. Dug Wells Can Be HUGE and DEEP

17. Water Well Construction – BIG Rigs

18. ACCESS ISSUES for DRILLING?

19. Water Well Construction - Basics

20. Water Well Construction in Fractured Rock Areas

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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.

27. 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?

28. 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

29. 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.

30. 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

31. Jon Vickery, REHS Roy Laws, PE Q & A Time!
Environmental Health Services Division
645 Parfet Street, Lakewood CO 80215