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From the Field
Wells in the granite of north Georgia can carry radon. Here is how to test for it and what treatment looks like.
Short answer: Radon is a natural gas that can dissolve in well water. UGA Extension says drilled wells in north Georgia granite are at risk, and test results decide what to do.
Radon is a natural radioactive gas with no color, smell or taste. UGA Extension explains that it forms when uranium and radium in rock break down, and that rocks like granite and shale can release it into air or water. Most radon exposure comes from the air inside a home. In Georgia, UGA says there is also a smaller but real risk from radon dissolved in drinking water.
Radon in drinking water is mainly a private well issue. If you are on a public water system that draws from the ground, the risk is considered lower, and you can ask the utility whether it tests for radon.
UGA says wells drilled into granitic crystalline rock, usually in the northern part of the state above the fall line, are at risk of naturally occurring radon. South Georgia aquifers are mostly limestone and are not the concern.
The numbers show why. The EPA estimates the average radon level in groundwater at 200 to 600 picocuries per liter (pCi/L). UGA says the average from granite aquifers can exceed 8,000 pCi/L, and the highest level ever measured in a Georgia well was 140,000 pCi/L. Shallow dug or bored wells are less likely to reach water in contact with radon sources, so UGA's concern is mostly about drilled wells.
Two wells next to each other can have very different results. That is why UGA says every drilled well above the fall line should be tested, not just your neighbor's.
Radon can reach you two ways. You can drink it, which UGA says is linked to a smaller added risk of stomach cancer. Or it can escape from the water as a gas while you shower, run the dishwasher or do laundry, and you breathe it. UGA treats breathing indoor air as the more important path, linked to lung cancer risk.
UGA estimates that 10,000 pCi/L of radon in water adds 1 pCi/L to the air in a home. The action level for indoor air is 4 pCi/L. UGA says there is no federal or state action level for radon in drinking water, and the EPA does not regulate private wells. UGA recommends testing your indoor air no matter what your water test says.
Have a result and need to talk it through?
Text Ryan about your well, your pump or your plumbing. He is a licensed Master Plumber and answers his own phone, and he will tell you plainly what he can and cannot do.
Do not buy any equipment until you have a result. UGA Extension tests water for radon and uranium. Call your county Extension office or 1-800-ASK-UGA1 for how to collect and send the sample. A standard well panel usually skips radon, so ask for it by name. The EPA says to use only a lab certified for drinking water, and the steps for taking a sample are in how to test well water in Georgia.
UGA's lab reads results this way:
Radon leaves water as gas anywhere in the house, so the fix has to be at the point where water enters, not at one tap. UGA says to treat the water at or before the point it enters the home. A filter on one faucet will not protect the shower.
UGA notes that home water treatment equipment is not regulated by federal or state law, and suggests choosing systems certified by NSF International or the Water Quality Association. It also says to count running costs like electricity, filters, repairs and maintenance, not just the purchase price.
Radon from soil and rock under the house is often the bigger source. UGA sells indoor air test kits at radon.uga.edu, and says that if your indoor air result is 4 pCi/L or higher, reducing radon in the indoor air is highly recommended. That work is done by a radon specialist who handles air systems, not by a plumber.
Ryan Chastain is a licensed Master Plumber in Ellijay. He does not test for radon, and he does not install radon reduction systems for water or air. Send your water sample to UGA Extension, and call a radon specialist for the air.
What Ryan does handle is the rest of the water system on a well: well pumps, well pressure tanks, whole-home filtration, softeners and under-sink systems. If your results lead to a treatment project, text Ryan and ask what fits. He gives a free estimate and tells you plainly what he does and does not do. For a first look at mineral and taste problems, see water filtration vs. water softener.
No. Ryan does not test for radon and does not install radon reduction systems. UGA Extension tests water, and a radon specialist handles indoor air. Ryan handles well pumps, pressure tanks and general water filtration.
UGA Extension says breathing radon released from water is the main concern and is linked to lung cancer risk, and drinking it adds a smaller risk of stomach cancer. It depends on the level, so test first.
No. UGA says there is no federal or state action level for radon in drinking water, and the EPA does not regulate private wells. UGA's lab uses its own result ranges to guide advice.
Not reliably. UGA says treatment should happen where water enters the home, because radon escapes as gas anywhere in the house. A softener is not a radon treatment.
UGA says drilled wells above the fall line should be tested, since neighbors can differ. It does not give a repeat schedule in the publication we used, so ask your county Extension office.
Call or text Ryan. Free estimate, and you know the price before any work starts.