More than
20 percent of private domestic wells sampled nationwide contain at least one
contaminant at levels of potential health concern, according to a study by the
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). About 43 million people – or 15 percent of the
nation's population – use drinking water from private wells, which are not
regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act.
USGS
scientists sampled about 2,100 private wells in 48 states, and found that the
contaminants most frequently measured at concentrations of potential health
concern were inorganic contaminants, including radon and arsenic. These
contaminants mostly are derived from the natural geologic materials that make
up the aquifers from which well water is drawn.
Nitrate was
the most common inorganic contaminant derived from man-made sources – such as
from fertilizer applications and septic-tanks – that was found at
concentrations greater than the federal drinking-water standard for public-water
supplies (10 parts per million). Nitrate was greater than the standard in about
4 percent of sampled wells.
The study
shows that the occurrence of selected contaminants varies across the country,
often following distinct geographic patterns related to geology, geochemical
conditions and land use. For example, elevated concentrations of nitrate
largely were associated with intensively farmed land, such as in parts of the
Midwest Corn Belt and the Central Valley of California. Radon was found at
relatively high concentrations in crystalline-rock aquifers in the Northeast,
in the central and southern Appalachians, and in central Colorado.
"The
results of this study are important because they show that a large number of
people may be unknowingly affected," says Matt Larsen, USGS Associate
Director for Water. "Greater attention to the quality of drinking water
from private wells and continued public education are important steps toward
the goal of protecting public health."
The USGS
sampled private wells from 1991 to 2004 in 30 of the nation's principal
aquifers used for water supply. As many as 219 properties and contaminants,
including pH, major ions, nutrients, radionuclides, trace elements, pesticides,
volatile organic compounds and microbial contaminants, were measured. Sampled
water was taken from private wells before any home treatment.
Other
contaminants found in the private wells were man-made organics, including
herbicides, insecticides, solvents, disinfection by-products and gasoline
chemicals. Few organic contaminants (7 out of 168) exceeded health benchmarks,
and were found above health benchmarks in less than 1 percent of sampled wells.
Organic contaminants were detected at lower concentrations in more than half (60
percent) of sampled wells, indicating that a variety of contaminant sources – including
agricultural, residential and industrial – can affect the quality of water from
private wells. The study measured organic chemicals at very low concentrations
– often well below human-health benchmarks – in order to assess occurrence and
sources; detections do not necessarily indicate human-health concerns.
Contaminants
found in private wells usually co-occurred with other contaminants as mixtures
rather than alone, which can be a concern because the total combined toxicity
of contaminant mixtures can be greater than that of any single contaminant.
Mixtures of contaminants at relatively low concentrations were found in the
majority of wells, but mixtures with multiple contaminants above health
benchmarks were uncommon (about 4 percent).
Bacteria,
including total coliform bacteria and Escherichia coli, were found in as many
as one third of a subset of 400 wells. These bacteria typically are not harmful,
but can be an indicator of fecal contamination. About half of the 2,100 sampled
wells had at least one property or contaminant outside recommended ranges for
cosmetic or aesthetic purposes, such as total dissolved solids, pH, iron and
manganese.
Human-health
benchmarks used in the study included drinking-water standards for contaminants
regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act and non-enforceable USGS
health-based screening levels (HBSLs) for unregulated contaminants. About half
of the wells deemed to have potential health concerns had concentrations
greater than maximum contaminant levels specified by the Safe Drinking Water
Act for public-water supplies.
For
more information, visit http://water.usgs.gov.