Uranium in Well Water: Test, Treat, Re-Test

Signs of uranium

None you can notice at home. The only sign is a lab result, so if you’re on a private well and have never tested for uranium, a state-certified lab test is the place to start.

The limits, and where it shows up

The federal limit for uranium is 30 µg/L. California’s limit is 20 pCi/L, which measures radioactivity rather than weight [State Water Board: California and federal MCLs (Sept 2024)]. Your lab report will say which unit it uses, and we’ll walk through it with you.

In the USGS study of the Modesto, Turlock and Merced groundwater subbasins, uranium and nitrate at moderate and high levels were found only in the upper 200 feet of the aquifer system [USGS Fact Sheet 2010-3001: Groundwater quality, Central Eastside San Joaquin Valley], and radioactive constituents were above benchmarks in about 4% of the primary aquifers [USGS Fact Sheet 2010-3001: Groundwater quality, Central Eastside San Joaquin Valley]. Many private wells draw from those shallower depths. Farther north, in the Eastern San Joaquin, Cosumnes and Tracy areas, radioactive constituents were high in about 2% [USGS Fact Sheet 2010-3079: Groundwater quality, Northern San Joaquin Valley].

How we test for uranium

1. Free in-home water test. We come to you and check the basics at your tap: hardness, precipitation, chlorine and soap testing, and more, depending on what you’re noticing.
2. Lab test where it matters. For anything with a health-based limit, we arrange a state-certified lab test and walk you through the report in plain English.
3. A written, no-pressure estimate for only what your water calls for. Sometimes that’s nothing at all.
4. Tested before, tested after. Once your system is in, we test again, with a follow-up lab test for health-related contaminants. If the results don’t match what we showed you, we adjust it at no charge.

How we treat it

For uranium, we use anion exchange, sized from your lab results and your household water use. If your test also shows nitrate, we’ll explain how the system is set up for both. After install, we arrange another lab test so you can see the reduction on paper.

What treatment gives you

• Confidence in every glass, backed by a lab result after install.
• A protected family and home, with treated water throughout the house.
• No more bottled water for drinking and cooking.
• One local team for testing, install, re-testing and service.

Reading your uranium result

Because California measures uranium by radioactivity (pCi/L) and the federal rule measures it by weight (µg/L), the number on your report depends on how the lab ran the test [State Water Board: California and federal MCLs (Sept 2024)]. Don’t try to convert it yourself; ask the lab, or let us walk through it with you. What matters is how your result compares with the limit in the same units.

Uranium and nitrate together

In the USGS study of the Modesto, Turlock and Merced subbasins, both uranium and nitrate at moderate and high levels were found only in the upper 200 feet of the aquifer system [USGS Fact Sheet 2010-3001: Groundwater quality, Central Eastside San Joaquin Valley]. If your well is shallow enough to pick up one, it’s worth testing for the other. Both are treated with anion exchange, so if your lab report shows both, we’ll size one system with both in mind.

Why we re-test

You can’t taste or smell uranium, so the only proof that treatment is working is a lab result. That’s why our promise for uranium is the same as for arsenic, nitrate and bacteria: tested before, tested after. We’ll also remind you to keep testing on a regular schedule.

Uranium testing near you

We help well owners across the corridor: Manteca · Lathrop · Stockton · Patterson · Hughson · Turlock · Modesto.