Well Water Nerd

Radon in Idaho well water

In Idaho, radon was detected in 100% of 1,617 tested private well samples.

Radon is a radioactive gas released from bedrock into well water. It escapes into household air during showers and washing, where inhaling it raises lung cancer risk. EPA has no enforceable water MCL; New Hampshire recommends treatment above 2,000 pCi/L, and many states use 4,000 pCi/L.

Check your radon number

Type the value from your lab report. It is compared to the EPA limit, the same way the full interpretation does it.

Getting it fixed

Book a free in-home water test with a licensed local company, or see the treatment guide for what removes radon.

By county, from individual samples

Public monitoring samples against the EPA limit; counties with at least 30 samples.

CountySamplesDetectedAbove EPA limitMedianHighest
Twin Falls65100%no limit3204,430 pCi/L
Bannock34100%no limit4821,900 pCi/L
Bingham62100%no limit297900 pCi/L
Blaine34100%no limit8752,610 pCi/L
Bonner55100%no limit6503,930 pCi/L
Butte59100%no limit1701,200 pCi/L
Canyon106100%no limit4803,620 pCi/L
Cassia35100%no limit4903,880 pCi/L
Custer54100%no limit1,4808,000 pCi/L
Elmore33100%no limit4801,900 pCi/L
Minidoka92100%no limit1601,000 pCi/L
Ada353100%no limit6002,800 pCi/L
Jefferson41100%no limit2301,390 pCi/L
Kootenai30100%no limit7592,940 pCi/L
Latah30100%no limit4658,040 pCi/L

Sources

  • Individual samples from the USGS Water Quality Portal and state monitoring, summarized per geography. radon counts and shares are listed on each county and town page with their sources.