Well woes: Contamination requires water lines to be extended

by Sean Ruppert, Staff Writer
   The township will install municipal water lines on Deans Pond Lane West because of naturally occurring radiation found in the area’s private wells.
   The wells tested positive several months ago for gross alpha particles, according to Health Officer Steve Papenberg. The particles are emitted during the decay of radioactive substances. The radioactivity occurs naturally, and is present in almost all rocks, according to literature from the state Department of Environmental Protection.
   The radioactivity can result in an increased risk of some cancers. Even at the maximum contamination level, the risk of developing a fatal cancer is about one in 10,000, according to the DEP. This means that if people were consistently exposed to the gross alpha in their drinking water over the course of 70 years, there would be one additional cancer fatality for every 10,000 people.
   The council approved a $1.05 million bond ordinance on Aug. 26 to pay for the installation of the water lines. The project is currently being reviewed by Alaimo Group, the township’s engineering firm, and plans should be ready in four to six weeks, according to South Brunswick Public Affairs Coordinator Ron Schmalz.
   Mayor Gambatese said the township wants to do the work in-house, which he estimated would only require them to use about one-third of the $1 million bond. If the work could not be done by the township, he said it would likely go out to bid on the issue in late September or early October .
   ”It is a subject of concern,” he said. “We don’t like to force people onto the water line, but when you are dealing with radiation you have to do it.”
   Mr. Schmalz said that about 18 homes will be added to the water system. He said the tax assessor would determine the cost to each of these homes based on the cost of the project and the value of each house.
   Mr. Papenberg said the township does not have many homes that use private wells, however, he said there are still some along Davidsons Mill, Fresh Ponds and Friendship roads. He said he does not know if the owners of these homes have had their wells tested for gross alfa, but he recommended that homeowners test their wells every five years.
   In July, the DEP released a study of 51,028 of the state’s approximately 400,000 wells conducted from September 2002 though August 2007. The study found that of 6,369 private wells, about 12.5 percent of those tested, failed to fall within state standards. Of those that failed, the most common reason was gross alpha activity, with 2,209 wells exceeding the limit, according to the report. Other common contaminates included arsenic, nitrates, fecal coliform, volatile organic compounds and mercury.