For months, Flathead County health officials have been discussing how to notify the public about potentially dangerous levels of radioactive elements in some private water wells west of Kalispell.
The discussions began in January, shortly after a Flathead Beacon article drew attention to the issue, reporting that hundreds of drinking water samples tested in the area exceeded federal standards for gross alpha radioactivity, including uranium and radon, potentially exposing area residents to unsafe levels of contaminants.
In particular, the radioactive elements, which occur naturally, seem to be present in private water wells in the communities in and around Kila.
At the Flathead City-County Board of Health’s May 26 meeting, members agreed to organize a mailing campaign as a first step to raise public awareness about the potential for radioactive contaminants in private wells, and to encourage residents to have their drinking water tested and possibly treated.
“The function of the Board of Health is to protect public health. That is our function,” said Dr. David Myerowitz, the board’s chair. “We are not going to mandate testing, but it is our duty as a board to notify people that there might be an issue with high levels of radiation in their wells.”
While the extent of the contamination is unknown, Jon Cuthbertson, of Montana Environmental Laboratory in Kalispell, began learning about the presence of what is called “gross alpha” radioactivity in private wells west of town more than a decade ago, when a customer’s drinking water turned up positive for high levels of radioactive elements.
Since 2010, Cuthbertson estimates he has seen upwards of 200 drinking water samples from the Kila area that tested above the maximum contaminant level for gross alpha radioactivity, and he now recommends testing for radiological elements to any customer living west of Kalispell.
At the health board’s recent meeting, Cuthbertson presented his findings and agreed to help map out a region within which he’s seen a consistent trend of drinking water samples testing “hot.”
While the Flathead City-County Health Department has been reluctant to launch a public health campaign without first having more information about the extent of the contamination, Public Health Officer Joe Russell said public notification is necessary to get the ball rolling.
“The board decided to essentially draw a big oval on the map and send mailers to residents living in this hot zone west of Kalispell,” Russell said. “At this point, it’s either that or go door-to-door. The letter will essentially explain that it’s been brought to our attention that some drinking water in your area has higher levels of radiation than is considered acceptable for public consumption and we encourage you to test.”
Federal and state water standards mandate testing for radioactive elements in public water systems; for private well owners and small water systems, however, agencies do not require testing for radioactivity and are unable to point to any public health campaigns or educational outreach in affected areas.
Adding to the dearth of data, there is no public record of testing for radioactivity in private wells in the area because resources have been reserved for public systems, so the evidence that Cuthbertson has gathered remains the county’s most accurate resource for mapping the scope of the problem.
Because Cuthbertson’s lab is not equipped to test for radioactive material, he sends the samples to an out-of-state lab. He said he has submitted samples from private and public water systems spanning Kila, Ashley Lake, Smith Lake, Foys Lake, Browns Meadow, and beyond.
In all of those areas, Cuthbertson has seen results that exceed the maximum contaminant level for gross alpha radioactive activity.
“Some property owners get no detect, others are really high,” he said, adding that one recent sample from the Browns Meadow area was 10 times the maximum contaminant level.
Federal law, as mandated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Act, states that the maximum contaminant level (MCL) for gross alpha activity is 15 picocuries per liter.
“I would say 20 percent are over the MCL,” Cuthbertson said. “Some of them are really high.”
When the health board first began discussing the problem of radioactivity in private wells, it considered budgeting funding to conduct random testing for contaminants like radon and uranium, agreeing there is a pressing need to investigate the scope of the contamination.
According to the EPA, a lifetime of exposure to elevated levels of radioactive elements in drinking water can increase the risk of cancer and cause kidney damage. Both radon and uranium in water are generally colorless, odorless and tasteless, and radon in the air can cause lung cancer.
Health officials emphasize that the federal standards are based on a lifetime of exposure to radioactive elements, and acute, short-term health effects are unlikely.
But Myerowitz said the public has a right to know.
“If you handed me a glass of water with 30 picocuries of radiation in it and another with none, I know which one I’d drink,” Myerowitz said. “Why would you want to tempt fate?”
In April, Greg Butts, supervisor of the state Department of Environmental Quality’s drinking water section, attended the health board’s meeting and explained what differentiates public and private water systems, as well as the different monitoring and testing requirements.
Basic public water systems are those that serve 15 connections or 25 or more people for 60 days out of the year. They are broken into three different categories – community water systems, residential systems (like Kalispell’s system, and those of individual subdivisions) and non-community water systems.
Non-community water systems are further broken down into two separate categories – transient water systems, where the population served does not permanently reside, such as bars and restaurants, and non-transient water systems, where the population works at a place and consumes the water, like schools and factories.
Butts explained to the board that the EPA does not require testing for radionuclides in transient water systems, prompting discussion about Kila School, which is not required to test or treat its well because it is considered a transient system.
Myerowitz acknowledged the critical need to gather more information about the contamination and said the health department has been reluctant to initiate a public health campaign without more data.
Still, he said, it is better to err on the side of caution.
“I’m trying not to be Chicken Little. I am pretty sure the sky isn’t falling. But how many times in the history of this country have we had serious environmental problems that people pooh-poohed until it became widely realized that something was seriously wrong?” Myerowitz said. “People should know that this is a potential problem, and that our recommendation is that if you live in a high-risk area, that you should consider treating it.”
Russell said the board has pursued the issue exhaustively and decided to act in order to put the community on notice. The board will continue to investigate the best treatment methods available to residents whose private wells test high for radionuclides.
“One of our jobs is notification, and to make sure that we tell people if there is something wrong and that they maybe should take action,” Russell said. “The board has really put the community in first position on this. We will keep working on it, but it will be interesting to see the initial community response.”