If you live in Washington and have pulled up your water quality report, you have probably found a few lines that read like a chemistry exam. Two of them are often radium and gross alpha. They are easy to misread, so this guide explains what each one is, what the report is telling you, and what to do next, whether your water comes from a public system or a private well.

What radium and gross alpha are

Radium is a naturally occurring radioactive element. It forms from the natural breakdown of uranium and thorium in rock and soil, so it can show up in groundwater that has been in contact with certain bedrock. Gross alpha is a broad screening measurement. It adds up alpha-emitting radioactivity from many sources, so it does not tell you which element is responsible. When a report lists both, the gross alpha result is the wider check, and the radium result helps explain part of it.

Both are reported as measured levels of radioactivity. You do not need to master the units to read the report, but you should check whether the figure is a single sample or an average, and when it was collected.

Reading the Washington report

Public water systems serving Washington and the rest of Franklin County publish consumer confidence reports each year. These list each regulated contaminant, the level found, the highest or range of results, the allowed limit, and the year of sampling. Radium and gross alpha usually appear in a table alongside other inorganic and radioactive items.

  1. Find the result column and the limit column, and compare them directly.
  2. Check the sample year. An older result may not reflect the water coming out of the tap now.
  3. Look for a note saying whether the figure is an average or a single sample.
  4. Read any footnotes about monitoring schedules or violations.

A result below the limit means the system met the requirement for that year. It does not tell you what your own tap delivers after water passes through your service line, a water heater, or a filter you may already have. If you want to know what comes out of your own kitchen tap, ask the water system whether it offers sampling at the tap, or arrange a certified laboratory test yourself.

Private wells near Washington

Private wells are not tested by anyone unless the owner arranges it. In the Franklin County area, deeper bedrock wells can draw from formations where radium occurs naturally, including the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer. Radium and gross alpha are worth testing for on any well in this area, especially if the well has never had a radiological screen.

How to test a well

  1. Choose a state-certified laboratory that offers radium-226 and radium-228 analysis along with gross alpha. Ask whether the lab accepts samples from private wells.
  2. Use the bottle and preservation the lab provides. Do not rinse it or substitute a container from home.
  3. Collect the sample from a cold tap before any treatment or filter, following the lab's flushing instructions.
  4. Label the bottle with the date, the time, and the tap location.
  5. Return the sample promptly, within the lab's hold time.

Ask the lab to report results with their measurement uncertainty and the method used. A result near the limit may warrant a retest, because radioactivity measurements can vary from one sample to the next.

When a result raises a question

If a public report shows a figure close to the limit, or a private well test comes back above it, confirm the result before you change anything. Ask the water system for its sampling records. For a well, request a retest from the same laboratory, and ask whether a second sample collected at a different time of year is worth the effort.

Treatment choices depend on what the testing shows and on where the radium is coming from. Some options treat all the water entering the home, while others work only at a single tap. Test results and the source of the water should come first, before any equipment decision. Keep the report, the laboratory documentation, and the sampling dates together so you can compare results over time.

Next steps

  • Pull your current public water report and find the radium and gross alpha rows.
  • Note the sample year and whether each figure is an average or a single sample.
  • If you have a private well, schedule a radium and gross alpha test with a certified laboratory.
  • Keep all results on file, and retest after flooding, well repairs, or any change to the system.