Second test of Marion well shows decreasing, but still elevated radium level

MARION - A Marion well continues to test slightly above drinking water standards for radium, a naturally occurring contaminant, the Water Department said Monday.

Todd Steigerwaldt, the department's general manager, said a second testing of one of the city's nine wells tested positive for radium recently for the second time.

The well first showed elevated signs of the contaminant in June during a routine monitoring. Further tests showed radium still is present in the well, though at a slightly lower level, Steigerwaldt said. In June, the well measured 6.2 picocuries per liter, which is above the maximum standard of 5. The latest results show the measurements right at 5.

Steigerwaldt said customers aren't at risk and don't need to seek an alternate water supply.

'You would need to drink an elevated concentration of water for basically an entire lifetime before you would have a chance” of cancer, he said. 'That would be over a lifetime of drinking eight glasses, 8 ounces of water a day for your entire lifetime.”

The Water Department will continue to test the well quarterly. In the meantime, the department will research water treatment solutions, which could involve blending water into the contaminated well to dilute the presence of radium. However, Steigerwaldt is optimistic because the level appears to be dropping.

'A lot of this is wait-and-see,” he said. 'Maybe it drops, and it was just a one-time spike.”

The well will be tested again in September.