BELLEVUE, Iowa (KWQC) – Bellevue’s city administrator says radium levels in the water exceed the legal limit.
The town’s drinking water is pulled from the Jordan Aquifer, and according to Loris Herrig, the aquifer is very deep and there can be radium naturally occurring in the walls. The town drilled for new wells in the early 2000’s.
Town residents were notified about the radium in the water. Testing results on April 1, 2016 showed the system exceeded the maximum contaminant level (MCL) for Radium Combined (226, 228). The maximum containment level is 5 PCI/L. Bellevue’s maximum containment level over the last year was 6.1 PCI/L.
According to the city, this does not pose an immediate risk, however, some people who drink water containing Radium 226 or 228 in excess over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer.
Bellevue Municipal Utilities is working with city engineers to explore options to solve the problem. The city hopes to have the problem corrected by December 2016.
