Radium comes with the aquifer, and a 48-hour test finds it
Radium and gross alpha come naturally from parts of the Cohansey in South Jersey, including Ocean County. Gross alpha is the screening test. NJDEP calls for more testing or treatment above 5 pCi/L, and for treatment outright above 15 pCi/L.
Compiled from the sources listed at the end. Sources checked .
For houses on a private well, in Lacey & Forked River, Waretown & Ocean Township, Barnegat, Stafford & Manahawkin, Toms River.
NJDEP's radium paper, revised April 2004, places radium in all or parts of nine South Jersey counties, and Ocean is one. The state geological survey adds that mercury and radium exceed primary standards in some wells in this aquifer. The chemistry links to the acid we write about in our copper story: NJDEP says acidity increases the radium dissolved in water, and that nitrate may increase acidity.
Why does the test have to happen so fast?
The reading falls with time. NJDEP's paper says gross alpha is "highest when analyzed within 48 hours" of collection, then declines. That is why the state rule calls for a 48-hour rapid test at a sale. A result from a slower test can read low. If the date of collection and date of analysis on an older report are far apart, ask the lab what that means.
- Pinelands wells, through March 201414.4%
- Ocean County wells, 2002 to April 20074.7%
Different places and years, so read them side by side with care. NJDEP talk, 2015, and NJDEP report, 2008.
What do 5 and 15 mean on my report?
Fifteen is the report's limit; five should start a conversation. The state health department told local agencies in 2022 that "Gross alpha > 5 pCi/L in South Jersey suggests radium > 5 pCi/L." So a result between 5 and 15 can pass one line and still point past the separate 5 pCi/L limit for radium 226+228.
| Result | What the agencies say |
|---|---|
| 5 pCi/L or under | Below the South Jersey trigger |
| Over 5 pCi/L | Further testing or treatment; suggests radium over 5 in South Jersey |
| Over 15 pCi/L | Over the limit; treatment recommended without further testing |
| Radium 226+228 over 5 pCi/L | Over the primary limit |
NJDEP radium paper, rev. April 2004; NJDOH presentation, October 2022; EPA primary table
How common is it around here?
Common enough to take seriously. Ocean County's rate was modest in the 2002-2007 count. The Pinelands rate, from a later and wider set of wells, ran about three times that.
Those rates describe past tests, and a county rate says nothing about one well. The old report also tested fewer Ocean wells for gross alpha than for other items. Use it as history.
What does the state say can fix it?
NJDEP's paper lists several routes:
- Public water, if a line is available. See switching from a well.
- A whole-house water softener or ion exchange unit, which it calls "usually the most feasible."
- Reverse osmosis or ion exchange at one tap.
- A deeper, tested aquifer, which goes through the licensed driller route in our hiring page.
- Bottled water in the short term.
The paper also warns activated carbon users to take care, and spends some time on why. Read that section if you have or are considering a carbon filter.
What does a softener cost, and what does it need?
The state health department's 2022 presentation gave two prices: point-of-use reverse osmosis at $800, a softener at $1,200-$1,500. Treat those as 2022 figures. The same slides say "Maintenance is key," and estimate that 20% of South Jersey homes with high gross alpha have softeners. Equipment that stops being looked after stops being a safeguard, and no one will check it for you. A test can.
How do I know the treatment worked?
Test the treated water with a certified lab, then keep testing. NJ's schedule asks for gross alpha at least once. For a house that has already shown a high result, and has equipment doing the work, the state's "Maintenance is key" warning is a good reason to ask the lab how often it would check.
The state's Act does not itself make you act on a result, as our sale story explains. But a primary limit is a health number, and the state's Potable Water Loan Program was offering up to $10,000 at no interest for water above primary standards as of January 2023.
Also asked
Should I stop drinking the water if gross alpha is high?
Ask the county health department and your doctor about your household. Bottled water for the short term is on NJDEP's list, and it is an easy step while you sort out treatment.
Does radium affect showers and laundry?
Our sources on gross alpha do not settle that, and we will not guess at it. Put the question to the health department.
Does boiling help?
Boiling is not on NJDEP's list of options for radium. Rely on the routes the paper does name.
Can a test be read too late to count?
For a sale, the rule specifies the 48-hour method, so a certified lab should be set up for it. Have the lab confirm the timing on the report.
Why is uranium not on my report?
Ocean County does not carry the uranium add-on in the current rule. That add-on is for a different set of counties, and New Jersey's general schedule still suggests it at least once.
Who to ask
- Ocean County Health Department: ask what a gross alpha result means for your household and your sale.
- A New Jersey certified laboratory: ask whether to run radium 226+228 after a gross alpha result over 5.
- New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency: find out if its loan is still open and whether radium treatment counts.
Where this comes from
- NJDEP, South Jersey Homeowner's Guide to Radium, rev. April 2004 - where radium occurs, 48 hours, 5 and 15 pCi/L, list of fixes.
- NJDOH presentation, October 3, 2022 - costs, maintenance, the 20% estimate, gross alpha and radium link.
- NJDEP Private Well Testing Act report, July 2008 - Ocean County and statewide counts.
- NJDEP Private Well Testing Act talk, 2015 - Pinelands 14.4%.
- N.J.A.C. 7:9E-2.1 - 48-hour test, no uranium add-on (text on Cornell's Legal Information Institute).
- EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations - alpha and radium limits.
- NJ Geological Survey circular on the Kirkwood-Cohansey - radium in some wells (archived copy).