Well Water Nerd

Radon in New Jersey well water

In New Jersey, radon was detected in 99% of 864 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
Atlantic36100%no limit210820 pCi/L
Bergen32100%no limit2,0258,700 pCi/L
Hunterdon61100%no limit2,56038,300 pCi/L
Middlesex42100%no limit1,57015,000 pCi/L
Morris34100%no limit1,55531,800 pCi/L
Sussex59100%no limit1,45090,000 pCi/L
Gloucester10699%no limit2551,100 pCi/L
Mercer9499%no limit1,02039,200 pCi/L
Ocean7899%no limit2101,010 pCi/L
Camden6498%no limit1843,170 pCi/L
Salem5798%no limit4501,840 pCi/L
Cumberland13596%no limit2803,900 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.