Arsenic and Mercury in Residential Well Water from Readington and Raritan Townships, Hunterdon County, New Jersey: Research Project Summary
Date
2002-07
Date Removed
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Trenton, N.J. : New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Science, Research and Technology
Abstract
In October 2000, well water testing for arsenic and mercury was offered to residents living in Readington and Raritan Townships in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. The goal was to generate data on levels of these contaminants in groundwater used for drinking water in the area. Previous testing showed that this part of the state may have potentially elevated levels of arsenic in well water due to leaching from certain arsenic-rich geologic formations. Two hundred thirty-eight wells were sampled. Three quarters of the well water samples contained arsenic levels below 5 μg/L (micrograms per liter). A quarter of the samples were above 5 μg/L, with 3% of wells containing arsenic levels above 10 μg/L. The highest arsenic level observed in this study was 35 μg/L. Few water samples had detectable levels of mercury, and of those where mercury was detected, the levels were trace.
Description
Keywords
New Jersey, New Jersey - Hunterdon County