Just How Safe Is That Well Water?

TRENTON — According to a recently released state report, a number of wells in Cape May County are tainted with bacteriological, organic, inorganic or radiological contamination.
Former county Agricultural Agent Larry Newbold, a long-time clean water advocate, told the Herald that well contamination could be leading to numerous health problems for county residents.
From September 2002 to April 2007, over 3,000 wells in this county (51,000 statewide) were tested under the state’s Private Well Testing Act (PWTA), which requires well testing as part of real estate transactions. The law allows home buyers and tenants to be informed about the quality of their potable water supply.
According to the county Health Department Web site, there are 9,800 domestic wells in this county and the PWTA report estimates approximately 400,000 wells statewide.
Of the different types of contamination cited in the report, this county’s wells were most affected by the inorganic chemical – nitrate. Ninety-nine of the 3,058 test wells (3.2 percent) were found to have elevated nitrate levels.
There are several reasons nitrates could be found in ground water, including: natural deposition, runoff from fertilizer use, leaching from septic tanks and from sewage. High levels of nitrates can cause blue-baby syndrome leading to shortness of breath or even death if left untreated in children under the age of 6, according to the report.
This county had a higher percentage of wells that failed for nitrate readings than the state as a whole. Statewide 1,399 or 2.7 percent of the 51,028 test wells failed.
Only three of the test wells (.1 percent) had elevated mercury levels. The inorganic compound mercury, which has been linked to neurological disorders, could result from air deposition, past pesticide use or industrial facility discharges, the report stated.
Only nine Southern counties – Cape May, Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, Gloucester, Monmouth, Ocean and Salem – were required to test for mercury.
Similarly, 10 Northern counties – Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset and Union – were required to test for arsenic, which can occur naturally in the soil there.
The report discounted any lead found from water samples saying the contamination most likely came from plumbing systems rather than the ground water supply.
According to the report, 57 wells (1.9 percent) in this county were contaminated with fecal coliform or Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria, from human or animal waste. If left untreated, bacterial contamination could cause serious illness.
Sources for bacterial contamination include septic tanks, sewer lines, contaminated surface waters, landfills and farms.
In bacterial contamination, the state had 2.2 percent or 1,136 failed test wells.
The report also found that 50 or 1.6 percent of the wells tested in this county were found to have exceeded the maximum contaminant level in at least one of the 26 volatile organic compounds (VOC) including solvents discharged from chemical factories or leached from underground petroleum storage tanks.
At high levels of exposure, many VOCs can cause central nervous system depression including drowsiness and stupor. All can be irritating upon contact with the skin, or to the mucous membranes if inhaled.
Statewide 702 or 1.4 percent of the total test wells failed for VOCs.
Beginning in March 2004, wells in Cape May County were also tested for radiological or gross alpha particle activity. The report said erosion of radioactive minerals, radium in the Southern part of the state, cause alpha radiation contamination.
The testing found 13 of 1,871 wells (.7 percent) exceeded the maximum contaminant level for gross alpha particles, which was well below the state average of 9.6 percent or 2,209 of the 22,903 wells tested.
Water contaminated with radiation has been known to cause serious health effects, including certain cancers, when consumed over extended periods of time, according to the report.
“We’re being poisoned,” Newbold said. “The human body is not designed to ingest these chemicals. The high cancer rates in this county tell the story.”
Newbold was referring to a July article in the Herald that reported on Cape May County’s high ranking in numerous cancer rates compared to other areas of the state.
He called on the county Health Department and state Department of Environmental Protection to do more testing, educate the public and enact more regulations to clean the water and keep county residents safe.
In addition to the health affecting contaminants, the report also tested for three other naturally occurring parameters: pH, iron and manganese. These contaminants can cause aesthetic problems such as rusty pipes, bad taste and odor problems.
The report found that due to the nature of soils and geology in the Southern part of the state, the ground water tends to be acidic here.
Statewide, 45 percent of wells had pH levels outside the recommended levels while 19 percent had high manganese levels and 29 percent had high iron levels.
Contact Hart at (609) 886-8600 Ext 35 or at: jhart@cmcherald.com