Water testing west of Kalispell has revealed concerning levels of radioactive elements in some private drinking wells. The reports have led county health officials on a search to find possibly contaminated areas to notify people who are at greater risk.

According to federal and state guidelines, private drinking wells are monitored by individuals and are not the responsibility of federal or state health departments.

Joe Russell, the Flathead City-County Health Department public health officer, said that distinction is why private company testing is the main reason the county knows about local cases of water wells exceeding federal standards for gross alpha radioactivity.

“At times, public supplies have shown higher levels of radiation, but because we don’t test private supplies, our information on other areas have been anecdotal until this point ... until we heard more from the Montana [Environmental Laboratory] in Kalispell, ” Russell said.

Federal law established by the Safe Drinking Water Act set the maximum contaminant level for gross alpha activity at 15 picocuries per liter.

Jon Cuthbertson of Montana Environmental Laboratory said he has seen levels of gross alpha radioactivity that have exceeded those federal standards since 2002.

Gross alpha radiation comes from naturally occurring radioactive elements that emit particles as they decay. Most drinking water sources have very low levels of alpha radiation and are not a health concern. But a high level of alpha radiation has been known to cause health concerns such as cancer, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Cuthbertson estimated somewhere between 10 and 20 percent of the lab’s Kalispell-area customers’ wells have tested positive for unsafe levels of contaminants. He said it’s hard to know how far the problem stretches since many people don’t follow EPA guidelines.

“The EPA states people should test their wells every year. Now, as far as how many people who actually do that, it’s very few,” Cuthbertson said. “Most people don’t test at all.”

Typically, the EPA does not regulate private water systems that serve no more than 25 people at least 60 days of the year and have no more than 15 service connections.

Cuthbertson said testing has pointed to higher radioactivity levels in the foothills west of Kalispell. He said some places in which testing has indicated unsafe levels include Kila, Smith Lake, Ashley Lake, Foy’s Lake and Browns Meadow.

Tina Malkuch of Safewater Testing Simplified Inc. said it’s important to understand different EPA water testing methods can yield different results. Malkuch said she has customers throughout the valley and has not seen an increase of radiation levels in wells in the Flathead County.

“There are hit-and-miss areas, but most of the valley has tested well — such a small percentage of my customers have tested with unsafe levels,” Malkuch said. “People should be educated on what to be concerned about, but without panicking.”

In April, Kila School sent a notification in a newsletter that water samples had revealed low levels of gross alpha radiation.

Malkuch said the school’s initial test that showed concerning levels of radiation used a method called E900, which according to the Montana Environmental Lab, costs $60.

The school decided to try a second method, SM7500 U.C. The method is not yet conducted in Montana, so Malkuch had the school’s water samples sent to the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene. The cost for the method is $216 per sample.

“The test is more expensive because it goes into details others don’t, and for Kila the results so far have indicated that the samples fall under EPA requirements,” Malkuch said.

Malkuch experienced a similar case in her own home.

A resident of Lakeshore Heights, Malkuch said in 2006 she received notice with other residents in the area that their water was averaging over 30, double the federal maximum.

As the residents balanced the complex and expensive options to clean their water, Malkuch worked with several others to get the SM7500 method approved within Montana. After getting the test approved, the water samples from Lakeshore Heights were sent to the Wisconsin lab. The samples came back within compliance of the EPA standard.

“We’ve seen how important it is to check your water quality. That’s why I think it’s important to get that initial, less expensive test. If it points to an issue, sure, get the more expensive test to see where you fall, and talk to professionals about what to do,” Malkuch said. “It’s just so important to know there are follow-up steps after seeing those higher numbers.”

Russell said while he would consider the quantity of radioactive levels in local wells surprising, they’re not alarming.

“We know there are certain areas in the county that consistently have higher levels, which is why testing can be important,” he said.

Since there’s no public record of testing for radioactivity in private wells in the area, Russell said the county is working with the Montana Environmental Laboratory to pinpoint high-risk areas that should be tested. He said many of the wells with higher levels of radiation have been drilled into bedrock.

He said once the county identifies those areas, they will be mapped on the county’s geographical information system. From there, the county will send warning letters to residents that fall in concerning areas on the map to raise awareness about the potential threat so people know to get their drinking water tested and, if needed, treated. The EPA recommends reverse osmosis water treatment for radioactive particles such as uranium, radium and gross alpha.

“It may not be our job to solve everyone’s problem, but we need to make sure everyone understands they may need to test,” Russell said. “Maybe some people will just ignore us, but we want to provide them with a chance to understand what may be the problem so they can take action as necessary.”

To learn more about EPA guidlines and water testing methods, visit https://goo.gl/G0kkLA

Reporter Katheryn Houghton may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at [email protected].