Once you've had your water
tested by a certified lab, use the table below to determine whether your water requires treatment for certain contaminants. Depending on which lab you used, your test results will be in different units or measurement. For instance, your uranium test may be listed in μg/L, mg/L or pCi/L.
Be sure to use the correct units when reading the table.
Get help reading the results from your lab.
|
Levels |
Do I treat? |
| Uranium |
more than 30 μg/L
more than 0.03 mg/L
more than 20.1 pCi/L |
Recommended |
| Gross Alpha |
5–15 pCi/L
more than 15 pCi/L |
Test for Uranium and Radium
Recommended |
| Gross Beta |
more than 50 pCi/L |
Treat in conjunction with Uranium
and Gross Alpha |
| Radon in Water |
0–4,000 pCi/L (low)
4,000–10,000 pCi/L (moderate)
over 10,000 pCi/L (high) |
Optional
Consider
Recommended |
| Radon in Air |
2–4 pCi/L
more than 4 pCi/L |
Test again
Treatment Recommended |
If treatment is recommended for any of the above contaminants, please plan to attend one of our upcoming community meetings to learn your options. The next two meetings will be held from 6–8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 14, and Thursday, Dec. 12, at the Wake County Human Services Center, 10 Sunnybrook Road, Raleigh.
As a short-term option, you may switch to drinking bottled water.
Please bring a copy of your well water test results to these meetings. Wake County staff will help you read and understand your results and, based on your findings, determine the next steps you could take to treat your water. The information provided will be somewhat technical, so bring a pen and paper to take notes.
Reading Your Test Results
Each lab formats test results differently, and it may be difficult to identify the information you need. To see an example report with the relevant information highlighted, click the name of your lab:
Common Terms Found in Water Testing Reports
As you read your results, you may also find the following terms and abbreviations:
Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) – A standard set by the US Environmental Protection Agency for drinking water quality.
Reporting Limit (RL) – The smallest concentration of a contaminant that the laboratory can detect.
Not Detected (ND) – Indicates the contaminant was not found to be greater than the lab's reporting limit.
Common Terms for Treatment Options
As you explore treatment options for your water, you may come across the following terms and abbreviations:
Point of Entry (POE) – Also commonly called a whole house system, this type of system treats all water that enters the home.
Point of Use (POU) – Usually placed on kitchen sink or refrigerator, this type of system only treats the water at the tap where the system is placed.
Aeration – A treatment system that can be used to fix Radon contamination. It is effective for treating all levels of Radon, especially high levels.
Granulated Activated Carbon (GAC) – A treatment system that can be used to fix Radon contamination. It is not recommended if radon levels exceed 5,000 pCi/L.
Whole-House Ion Exchange – A treatment system that can be used to fix uranium and/or radium contamination. It treats all water that enters the house. Uranium requires anion exchange and radium requires cation exchange.
Reverse Osmosis (RO) – A treatment system that can be used to fix uranium and/or radium contamination. It only treats the water at the tap where the system is placed.