LUMBERTON — The discovery of higher than allowed levels of radium in the water has forced Robeson County to shut down one of its wells.

A routine test recently found levels of combined radium above drinking water standards at a well located at N.C. 20 East in St. Pauls, according to a county government public notice. The discovery is not considered an emergency, but the well has been shut down until the problem can be corrected.

The increased radium level was found during the compliance period ending Sept. 30, according to the notice. It showed that the water coming from the well exceeded the maximum contaminant level for combined radium. That standard is 5 pCi/L, or picocuries per liter. The average level of combined radium in the well’s water over the past year was 5.93 pCi/L.

Combined radium means a combination of two types of radium, in this case it was radium 226 and 228.

The problem arose when one of the well’s filters became clogged, said Tommy Overby, an environment specialist with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Fayetteville office.

The well contractor was brought into the Fayetteville office to define the problem and tell how it would be corrected, Overby said.

“They have sent us paperwork about what they have found,” he said.

The well pulls water from two levels of the aquifer, he said. The screen at the lower level became blocked, which caused the well to pull water only from the upper level.

Once that problem is fixed, the radium levels will decrease, Overby said.

“This is not an emergency. If it had been, you would have been notified within 24 hours,” the county’s notice reads in part.

However, some people who drink water containing radium 226 or 228 in excess of the maximum contaminant level over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer, according to the notice

“We have stopped using the contaminated well. We have increased pumping from other wells, and we are investigating drilling a new well,” the notice reads in part.

There is nothing water system customers need to do, according to the notice. Customers do not need to boil their water or take other corrective actions. However, any customer with a specific health concern is urged to consult his or her doctor.

“If you have a severely compromised immune system, have an infant, are pregnant, or are elderly, you may be at increased risk and should seek advice from your health care providers about drinking this water,” the notice reads in part.

According to the federal Environmental Protection Agency, radium occurs at trace levels in virtually all rock, soil, water, plants and animals. In areas where radium concentrations in rocks and soils are higher, the groundwater also typically has relatively higher radium content.

“Everyone has some exposure to radium because it is naturally occurring in the environment,” the EPA website reads in part. “Individuals may be exposed to higher levels of radium if they live in an area where there are higher levels of radium in rock and soil. Radium concentrations in food and air are very low.

“The concentration of radium in drinking water is generally low, but some regions have higher concentrations due to local geology.”

Chronic exposure to high levels of radium can result in an increased incidence of bone, liver or breast cancer, according to the EPA. As radium decays it creates a radioactive gas called radon, which is common in many soils and can collect in homes and other buildings.

“Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States,” the website reads in part.

The full Robeson County public notice can be read at https://www.co.robeson.nc.us/single-post/2019/09/18/Notice-to-the-Public

T.C. Hunter Managing editor

Reach T.C. Hunter by calling 910-816-1974 or via email at [email protected]

Reach T.C. Hunter by calling 910-816-1974 or via email at [email protected]