Elevated levels of uranium found in mountain wells

By Linda Bell
Livermore Correspondent

It is no surprise to geologists that where there is granite there are sometimes lucrative surprises--like copper, gold and uranium. That's great for miners, but for homeowners sitting on granite it could be a health risk if they are drinking water laced with heavy metals.

Some Glacier View Meadows residents in a small area of the large development recently received letters from the association saying they were being served up a significant dose of uranium along with the water splashing out their taps. Glacier View Meadows is located along Red Feather Lakes Road (County Road 74E).

Steve Horsmon, GVM manager, said U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards for uranium in drinking water were officially set in December 2003 after years of "suggested guidelines." These new regulations now apply to small community water systems like those in GVM. When a cursory test for uranium in GVM water was taken by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment in 2003, Horsmon said, the department found an elevated level, and in early 2005 the state put GVM on a quarterly schedule for uranium testing.

The new official standard for uranium in drinking water, Horsmon said, is 30 mircrograms per liter (ug/L), up from the previous guidelines of 20ug/L. Out of the five treatment points serving GVM's community water systems, he said, four test under 10ug/L while one tests at an elevated 150ug/L.

"We'll have to specifically treat this system until it meets the standard," Horsmon said. "We're working closely with state managers to decide on a treatment process."

Likely the amount of uranium out of this particular well has always been that high, but since it was never tested specifically for uranium, he said, no one realized.

"We had three different labs confirm the high number for the one system," Horsmon said. To bring the water within the EPA standard, he said, GVM will have to find a best available treatment, either through blending the water or through using an ion exchange system that would perform like a large water softener.

It's not that uncommon to find heavy metals in water in this area, according to David Gilbert, associate director for the Center of Contaminant Hydrology at Colorado State University. Gilbert, a Glacier View resident and recent recipient of the letter about the elevated uranium in his drinking water, said uranium can be removed at the water source point through ion exchange. He said uranium behaves as a positively charged ion, or cation, under low pH conditions. He explained that a simple sodium process acts on the cation to form an ion exchange that removes the uranium, while under high pH conditions the uranium is a negatively charged anion and exchanged with sulfate.

"We're very lucky to be on a community system because we know what's in the water coming into our home," Gilbert said. "With that knowledge we can take steps on our own to treat it. Lots of people on private wells don't have a clue unless they make an effort to test their water for more than bacteria."

According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, long exposure to natural uranium with low levels of radioactivity (not to be confused with enriched uranium used for making bombs and reactors) can cause kidney disease and possibly cancer, although not proven so far. Uranium is found nearly everywhere - in air, water, food and soil. The national average for drinking water is 0.4 to 1.4ug/L.

Gilbert said private homeowners who know they have elevated levels of metals like uranium in their water might want to invest in a reverse osmosis unit, available online or through other water treatment dealers at a cost of between $700 and $1,000. He said these could be installed under the kitchen sink where they remove about 90 percent of uranium and other heavy metals from home drinking water.

Horsmon said GVM contracts with Evergreen Analytical Labs (877-737-4521) in Wheaton for routine testing. Household tests for uranium in water run a minimum of $50 at the lab, although if two or more households are done in the same batch the price is $24 per test.

The World Health Organization guideline for uranium drinking water is 2ug/L. Ontario, Canada, revised its drinking water standard for uranium in 2001 from 100ug/L to 20ug/L.

Bob Isaacson of Lone Pine Realty in Red Feather Lakes said Larimer County Department of Health and Environment does not require any testing of private well water when houses are sold; however, most buyers request potability tests for E. coli and coliform bacteria.