Radium in Camden County Well Water: Gross Alpha Testing and Treatment

If your home in Camden County is on a private well, have the water tested for gross alpha, the screening test for natural radioactivity. Much of the county’s well water comes from the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer, and state data show that elevated radium is found more often in Camden County wells than almost anywhere else in New Jersey. Radium has no taste, color or smell, so a lab test is the only way to know. If the result is above 5 picocuries per liter (pCi/L), the New Jersey Department of Health considers that a sign of unsafe radium levels in South Jersey wells, and a properly sized water softener or a reverse osmosis system can bring it down. A Clear Alternative offers free in-home water analysis across Camden County; call 1-888-577-8088.

Why Radium Shows Up in Camden County Wells

Radium is a naturally occurring radioactive element that forms as uranium and thorium in sand and rock slowly break down. Southern New Jersey sits on the Coastal Plain, and the shallow Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer under it supplies a large share of the region’s private wells. According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), sampling of public and private wells drawing from this aquifer has shown elevated levels of naturally occurring radioactivity, and the aquifer is present in all or parts of Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Gloucester, Monmouth and Salem counties, among others.

This is not pollution from a factory or a spill. It comes from the geology. That also means it does not go away on its own, and a neighbor’s clean result does not guarantee yours. Two wells a few hundred feet apart can test very differently depending on depth and construction.

What the State Data Say About Camden County

New Jersey has more well water data than almost any state because the Private Well Testing Act requires testing when a home with a private well is sold. In South Jersey counties, that test includes gross alpha.

• Between September 2002 and December 2023, 10.8% of the 96,617 private wells tested statewide for gross alpha were above the 15 pCi/L standard, and the New Jersey State Health Assessment Data system reports that exceedances were most commonly found in Camden County and one other South Jersey county.
• An NJDEP summary of Private Well Testing Act results showed 340 of 1,034 Camden County wells tested, about one in three, above the gross alpha standard.
• In a 2023 state health department project that sampled tap water at 109 South Jersey well homes, including homes in Waterford Township, 24% had gross alpha above 5 pCi/L at the tap.

Most homes in the more developed parts of the county are on public water, and public water systems are required to test and treat for radium. The households that need to pay attention are the ones on private wells, which are most common in the southern and eastern townships such as Winslow, Waterford, Chesilhurst, Berlin Township and parts of Gloucester Township.

Why It Matters for Your Health

Radium in drinking water is a long-term exposure issue, not an emergency. You will not feel sick from one glass. The concern is years of daily drinking and cooking with water that is above the standard. The New Jersey Department of Health lists anemia, bone, breast, liver and sinus cancer, cataracts and fractured teeth among the effects of chronic exposure to unsafe radium levels. Because radium behaves a bit like calcium in the body, much of it ends up in bone.

Bathing and washing are a much smaller concern than drinking. That is one reason a drinking water system at the kitchen tap is a reasonable option for some families, as covered below.

How to Test for Radium

Start With a 48-Hour Gross Alpha Test

Gross alpha measures overall alpha radioactivity in the water. In South Jersey, radium causes most of it. New Jersey uses a rapid test that must be analyzed within 48 hours of collection, because one form of radium, radium-224, breaks down within days and would be missed by a slower test. Use a laboratory certified by NJDEP, and follow its sampling instructions closely. NJDEP recommends taking the sample from the cold water tap closest to the pressure tank after running the water long enough to draw fresh water from the well, not water that has been sitting in the tank.

How to Read the Result

NJDEP’s guidance uses three ranges:

• 5 pCi/L or less: no action needed for radioactivity. Retest if your well is replaced, deepened or repaired.
• Above 5 and up to 15 pCi/L: test for radium-226 and radium-228. If the two combined are above 5 pCi/L, treatment is recommended. Many South Jersey families skip the follow-up and simply treat, because the state health department reads any South Jersey gross alpha result above 5 pCi/L as a sign of unsafe radium.
• Above 15 pCi/L: treatment is recommended.

Test the Rest of Your Water Too

Radium rarely travels alone. Camden County wells often have low pH (acidic water), iron and sometimes nitrate. Those results change which equipment works and in what order it goes. Test pH, hardness, iron, manganese and nitrate at the same time so the treatment plan fits the whole picture.

Treatment Options That Work

Whole-House Water Softener (Ion Exchange)

A water softener exchanges sodium (or potassium) for hardness minerals, and it also captures other positively charged ions, including radium. NJDEP calls a point-of-entry softener or ion exchange system usually the most practical approach for the average home, because it treats every tap. Sizing matters: a softener that is too small or regenerates too rarely will let radium through as it runs out of capacity. It has to be sized from your test results and your household’s water use.

Reverse Osmosis at the Kitchen Sink

A point-of-use reverse osmosis (RO) system removes radium from the water you drink and cook with. The health department notes that it treats only one tap, so exposure can continue from others, but for families with modest levels it is a sensible choice. Some homes use both: a softener for the whole house and RO for drinking water. Our guide to reverse osmosis system maintenance covers what keeps one working.

Order of Equipment

If your home also needs an acid neutralizer or a carbon filter, placement matters. NJDEP advises putting the radioactivity treatment before any carbon filter, to keep radioactivity from building up on the carbon bed. Acidic water is usually corrected first, because low pH is hard on plumbing and on other equipment downstream.

Confirm It Works

After installation, retest. NJDEP recommends another gross alpha test to confirm the system is reducing radioactivity to an acceptable level. Keep the softener’s salt topped up, and change RO filters on schedule. A softener that has run out of salt is no longer removing radium. NJDEP also suggests checking with your local health officer before installation in case a permit is required.

Buying or Selling a Camden County Home With a Well

If you are buying, the Private Well Testing Act results will show the gross alpha number. Read it before closing. If it is above 5 pCi/L, plan for treatment and include a retest in your plans. If you are selling and already have treatment installed, keep maintenance records; buyers and inspectors often ask for them. Our post on nitrates in well water explains another result that often appears on the same report.

Serving Camden County Homes

We test and treat well water in Winslow Township, Waterford Township, Chesilhurst, Berlin Township, Gloucester Township, Pine Hill and nearby communities. See our Camden County service area page and the full range of systems on our water treatment page.

When to Call A Clear Alternative

Call us if your well has never been tested for gross alpha, if a home sale report showed a result above 5 pCi/L, if you have a softener but do not know whether it was sized for radium, or if you want one plan that covers radium, acidic water and iron together. A Clear Alternative is a family-run company that has been treating New Jersey water since 1991, working from 9230 Collins Ave in Pennsauken, right here in Camden County. We will test your water in your home at no charge, explain what the numbers mean, and recommend equipment based on your actual results. For radium itself, we will point you to a certified lab for the 48-hour gross alpha test. Call 1-888-577-8088 to book your free in-home water analysis.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is radium in Camden County well water common?

Yes. State health data show gross alpha exceedances were most commonly found in Camden County, and an NJDEP summary found about one in three Camden County wells tested above the standard. Results vary from well to well, so only a test tells you about yours.

What gross alpha level is a concern in South Jersey?

The New Jersey Department of Health treats a South Jersey gross alpha result above 5 pCi/L as a sign of unsafe radium. NJDEP recommends treatment above 15 pCi/L, and radium testing or treatment between 5 and 15 pCi/L.

Does a water softener remove radium?

Yes. A properly sized and maintained water softener, also called an ion exchange system, removes radium along with hardness. NJDEP calls it usually the most practical whole-house option.

Does reverse osmosis remove radium?

Yes. A reverse osmosis system at the kitchen sink removes radium from drinking and cooking water, but it treats only that one tap.

Can I test for radium myself with a home kit?

No. New Jersey uses a 48-hour gross alpha test that must be analyzed by an NJDEP-certified laboratory within 48 hours of sampling.

Do I need to retest after installing treatment?

Yes. NJDEP recommends another gross alpha test after installation to confirm the system is reducing radioactivity to an acceptable level.