Case History of a Small Water System Addressing Radiological Contamination

ABSTRACT

On 7 Dec 2000, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency published a revised standard for radiological contaminants in drinking water. This revised standard included a new standard for uranium. Systems which previously did not consider uranium to be a problem now have to address the uranium content of their water.

This paper will present a case history of a privately-owned water system, serving a small rural community, which found high levels of uranium in the water supply (groundwater). The project team includes the waterworks owner, the equipment manufacturer, the regulatory agency, and the local government (even though they don’t own the water system). The discussion will address the preliminary testing results, the technology applied, the full-scale testing of that technology, the acceptance by the state regulatory agency, and how the project team worked together to develop a successful project, leading to long-term operation.

The paper will also discuss how the water system has responded to finding that the water also contains levels of radon in excess of the standard proposed by EPA in a 1999 draft rule that has not yet been finalized.

Fox Run VA Paper 092505