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Radon in Well Water- Safe Drinking Water

By
Real Estate Agent with RI Real Estate Services ~ 401-529-7849~ RI Waterfront Real Estate

Who is to say what is safe and what is not with drinking water anymore…truthfully I begin to question all the pundits out there after

Radon in Well Water- RI Living

Mitigate Well Water?!

reading some blogs by notable scientists doubting the issues that radon in water is to our health.  Until this gets really sorted out at some future date and standards set within Rhode Island, I will go with with the flow and what is acceptable in neighboring states.

 
In fact, in one of my recent Charlestown RI home sales, I talked about the potability of water and the hubbub it caused for my buyers.  And that was due to the lender.  Well the lender wanted a radon water test for the well to meet acceptable EPA guidelines.  My recommendation to buyers when buying any home with well water is to test it for radon anyway.
 
As RI living here is pretty carefree but we want to drink clean and safe water but we do not seem to want to put standards to that effect.  So we turn to the neighboring states for their acceptable limits when testing radon in the well water, as follows:
 
Massachusetts – 10,000 pCi/L
Connecticut-         5,000 pCi/L
Maine-                     4,000 pCi/L
Vermont-               5,000 pCi/L
New Hampshire & Rhode Island just do not have well water radon standards.
 
Truthfully, in the most current home buying situation, the level of well water radon was above 10,000 pCi/L so we could make a case for the seller paying for it.  Considering there are two kinds of well water radon mitigation systems to use:  Aeration and GAC, it was recommended by the home inspector and testing company to go with the Aeration treatment system that runs $3400+ (the more costly and supposedly the better of the two systems).  That is what the lender accepted as well as the buyers.
Radon in Well Water- RI Living

Narragansett Bay is great water in RI

But what if the radon in the well water had come in around 4500 pCi/L?  With no RI standards is it then the responsibilty of the buyers to install a system of their choice?  It does seem to be what is happening when I talk to fellow agents.  I am curious what other agents or inspectors have experienced and how they have dealt with past home buying situations.    Please share with me!  Radon in Well Water- Safe Drinking Water.
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  Ginny Lacey Gorman is a North Kingstown Realtor who works and knows the North Kingstown RI geographic area of homes for sale, schools, happenings, important tidbits of information and  businesses well.  Waterfront, water view, ocean front, luxury and coastal RI real estate are her specialty, so call Ginny for your buying and selling home needs. As North Kingstown short sale agents, she and her team helps clients navigate successfully the rough short sale waters throughout RI, contact Ginny if you are having trouble paying your mortgage.  When you are in need of an internet savvy RI realtor® who sells homes in this real estate marketcall Ginny today at 401.529.7849.
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the RI waterfront Realtor of Choice

 

Ginny L. Gorman, a purveyor of Fine RI Waterfront Real Estate   

Specializing in waterfront, ocean front, vacation, coastal and luxury homes for sale in North Kingstown, South Kingstown, Narragansett, Jamestown, Charlestown, East Greenwich, Exeter, West Greenwich RI and beyond ...  I sell dreams!  Because there is no place like home...the RI Real Estate Agent in the Sparkly Red Shoes.

 

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Comments (24)

Marco Giancola
Beachfront Realty - Miami Beach, FL
Realtor (305)608-1922, Miami Beach Florida

Hi Ginny-we don't have wells so 1 less thing for us down here to be worried about. Sounds like it could get a lot of folks excited though.

Feb 28, 2012 08:16 PM
Erv Fleishman
Realty Associates - Boca Raton, FL
Luxury Prop Specialist Realty Associates

Actually, we do have wells here in Florida. Radon is an issue. However, it is not well known. We tend to associate radon with basements which we do not tend to have in south florida. But, it turns out that the ground level can be an entry level. 

 

 

 

Feb 28, 2012 08:56 PM
Richard Weisser
Richard Weisser Realty - Newnan, GA
Richard Weisser Retired Real Estate Professional

Ginny...

Don't even get me started on radon ... yeah, it's there. It always has been and always will be,

Feb 28, 2012 09:14 PM
Matt Bednarz
CT Basement Systems Radon Inc. - Stratford, CT

Good Morning Ginny:

The State of CT recommends that aeration systems be installed for waterborne radon concentrations >10,000 pCi/l.  For levels <10,000 pCi/l, GAC is an acceptable alternative.  Aeration is recognized as the best available technology (BAT) for a couple reasons;

#1) there is no collection of radon on a media bed...therefore, there is no gamma emission concern.  As radon collects on the carbon, it decays.  As the radon decays, there are certain decay products that will emanate gamma rays which can present an exposure issue for occupants of the home if the system is located in an occupied area.  The rationale behind the 10K limit is to limit the "load" going into the GAC...thereby limiting the strength of the reach of the gamma field emitted from the tanks.

 #2) since there is no collection of contaminant; there is no long term disposal concern should a homeowner fail to maintain the system properly.  If a GAC system is installed & never serviced, the radioactive load placed on that carbon bed will reach a point where special permitting will be needed to dispose of the spent carbon as a low level radioactive waste.

Beware of the contractor who willingly installs GAC for any waterborne radon concentration they run across.  At face value, they may appear to be heroes because they'll be 50% - 70% cheaper than the contractor proposing aeration...but they're clearly irresponsible because they are potentially subjecting the occupants to excessive gamma exposures & also possible exorbitant maintenance costs.

Feb 28, 2012 09:22 PM
Ginny Gorman
RI Real Estate Services ~ 401-529-7849~ RI Waterfront Real Estate - North Kingstown, RI
Homes for Sale in Southern RI and beyond

Marco, and wouldn't you know that the headlines on the Today show this morning on NBC is about radon in the air...all points of concern.

Erv, good share didn't know it was an issue there too.

Richard, a man of few words here..thanks

Matt, excellent explanation...i was wondering about the radioactivity of the GAC is not maintained too...it is so important to work with vendors who treasure their reputation as much as the $$...thanks

Feb 28, 2012 09:31 PM
Hank Spinnler
Harmony Home Inspection Services of GA - Hoschton, GA
Atlanta Home Inspector
Nice article that creates greater awareness of the need to test both air and well water. I do a small percentage of home inspections with homes on private or shared wells. Water radon testing takes about 4-5 days.
Feb 28, 2012 09:34 PM
Anita Clark
Coldwell Banker Access Realty ~ 478.960.8055 - Warner Robins, GA
Realtor - Homes for Sale in Warner Robins GA

Ginny: It hasn't been much of an issue in my area but there really does need to be a universal standard.

Feb 28, 2012 09:41 PM
Ashley Connolly
Northeast Water Wells Inc - Jaffrey, NH

For every 10000 pci/L of radon in water = 1 pci/L in Air some food for thought when trying to compare. Radon is the 2nd most toxic carcinogen in the US. When using GAC for removal buyers beware you then have to deal with active radiological materials in your basement and associated disposal costs.

Feb 28, 2012 09:43 PM
Michael Setunsky
Woodbridge, VA
Your Commercial Real Estate Link to Northern VA

Ginny, I will have to check what my state's specification is for radon in water. The last time I dealt with a problem well, the issue was lead in the water. I will look into this. Thanks.

Feb 28, 2012 10:06 PM
Ginny Gorman
RI Real Estate Services ~ 401-529-7849~ RI Waterfront Real Estate - North Kingstown, RI
Homes for Sale in Southern RI and beyond

Hank, i do hope that most buyers agents know to test for radon in the air...very important thanks

Anita, lucky you...it creates a lot more work for us here.

Ashley, so true and i personally do not lean towards the GAC types

Michael, lead is another water contaminant to be aware of & is ususually tested for here too.

Feb 28, 2012 10:25 PM
The Derrick Team - Indy Metro Realtors
Carpenter Realtors - Avon, IN
Your Pet Friendly Realtors

I agree with Richard #7. What else is there we  don't know has been killing us for all these years?

Feb 28, 2012 10:34 PM
Richie Alan Naggar
people first...then business Ran Right Realty - Riverside, CA
agent & author

A forensic scientist wrote a book stating that at least ten things can be trying to kill a human being at any given time with one or more finally doing so...One wonders how along a human being could live in an all natural environment

Feb 28, 2012 11:06 PM
Kristen Wheatley
Better Homes & Gardens | The Masiello Group - Brunswick, ME
Supporting Success - Best Job in the World!

Radon is rather common here in Maine, and we have a hug amount of homes with well water.  A few years back, the state dramatically lowered the threshhold for radon mitigation both for air and water.  This continues to cause issues.  I can see where it would be more difficult to negotiate without a state standard.  I just closed a home that already had a radon air mitigation system, but tested higher than the state level for radon in the water (around 6800).  Interestingly, that came out lower than the level the sellers had disclosed.  In the end, the cost of the system was about $4000 and the buyers and sellers split the cost.  The buyers opted to take $2000 off the sales price and have the system of their choice installed after closing.  Occasionally, we have a situation where the seller foots the whole bill, but generally the cost is split here.  The state levels are still a great source of debate.

Feb 28, 2012 11:25 PM
Ginny Gorman
RI Real Estate Services ~ 401-529-7849~ RI Waterfront Real Estate - North Kingstown, RI
Homes for Sale in Southern RI and beyond

Derricks, as richie says in the next post ...who knows but it is not good.

Richie, i remember reading a National Geographic a couple of years ago where they did the total analysis on this guy costing several thousand dollars on chemicals & toxins picked up from the environment in a human body...very scary.  

Kristen, thanks for the comments on ME...RI needs to get their act together on health standards on radon i believe.

Feb 29, 2012 12:47 AM
John F Muscarella
RIVER FARM PROPERTIES, LLC - Venice, FL
Broker/Owner, Venice, FL, Florida's Suncoast

Anyone with well water should test every 2 years at a minimum unless you have a full osmosis filtration system and then it best e cleaned and services every 2 years.   Nothing lasts forever or remains the same.

Feb 29, 2012 06:28 AM
Ginny Gorman
RI Real Estate Services ~ 401-529-7849~ RI Waterfront Real Estate - North Kingstown, RI
Homes for Sale in Southern RI and beyond

John, good point to share...water should be retested regularly..thanks

Feb 29, 2012 07:34 AM
Joan Cox
House to Home, Inc. - Denver Real Estate - 720-231-6373 - Denver, CO
Denver Real Estate - Selling One Home at a Time

Ginny, this does bring up some great questions, and have not thought of testing water in our wells on the plains.      Shall need to ask questions about this!

Feb 29, 2012 08:15 AM
Ed Silva, 203-206-0754
Mapleridge Realty, CT 203-206-0754 - Waterbury, CT
Central CT Real Estate Broker Serving all equally

Ginny, as Matt points out above a filtration system with a cartridge that requires disposal could degenerateinto a hazardous waste and those are not easy to dispose, legally. Aeration is more expensive but far safer and cleaner in the long run, and I have had clients that needed to install an aerator

Feb 29, 2012 08:51 AM
George Souto
George Souto NMLS #65149 FHA, CHFA, VA Mortgages - Middletown, CT
Your Connecticut Mortgage Expert

Ginny, glad that I don't have to deal with these issues.  So much information out there that it is hard to sort through it all.

Feb 29, 2012 10:13 AM
Katerina Gasset
The Gasset Group & Get It Done For Me Virtual Services - Provo, UT
Amplify Your Real Estate & Life Dreams!

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Feb 29, 2012 02:58 PM