Uranium in Idaho well water
In Idaho, 5% of 3,125 tested private well samples exceeded the EPA limit for uranium (30 ug/L).
Uranium in well water comes from granite bedrock. Its main health effect is chemical toxicity to the kidneys rather than radiation. It is common in the same areas where radon and arsenic occur.
Check your uranium 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 uranium.
By county, from individual samples
Public monitoring samples against the EPA limit (30 ug/L); counties with at least 30 samples.
| County | Samples | Detected | Above EPA limit | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owyhee | 123 | 65% | 24% | 4.84 | 110 ug/L |
| Ada | 204 | 81% | 20% | 5.3 | 157 ug/L |
| Canyon | 361 | 88% | 17% | 9.8 | 120 ug/L |
| Payette | 150 | 83% | 8% | 8.85 | 45 ug/L |
| Gem | 100 | 64% | 3% | 0.355 | 240 ug/L |
| Cassia | 45 | 98% | 2% | 5.8 | 62 ug/L |
| Twin Falls | 120 | 93% | 2% | 8.55 | 45 ug/L |
| Bingham | 61 | 74% | 2% | 1.7 | 136 ug/L |
| Elmore | 85 | 56% | 1% | 0.33 | 47 ug/L |
| Jefferson | 140 | 86% | <1% | 2.01 | 33 ug/L |
| Butte | 458 | 99% | <1% | 1.78 | 81,600 ug/L |
| Lincoln | 53 | 100% | 0% | 2.29 | 13 ug/L |
| Jerome | 131 | 99% | 0% | 2.79 | 7.1 ug/L |
| Gooding | 93 | 99% | 0% | 1.89 | 15 ug/L |
| Minidoka | 155 | 98% | 0% | 2.7 | 9 ug/L |
- Grand View CCD, Owyhee County53% of 43
- Boise City CCD, Ada County35% of 85
- Notus CCD, Canyon County33% of 30
- Middleton CCD, Canyon County26% of 88
- Nampa CCD, Canyon County16% of 87
- Kuna CCD, Ada County13% of 31
- New Plymouth CCD, Payette County13% of 95
- Caldwell CCD, Canyon County13% of 32
- Marsing CCD, Owyhee County10% of 31
- Orchard CCD, Ada County9% of 34
- Eagle CCD, Ada County7% of 43
- Emmett Valley CCD, Gem County5% of 44
- Emmett Bench CCD, Gem County3% of 39
- Parma CCD, Canyon County2% of 43
- Mountain Home CCD, Elmore County1% of 74
- Howe CCD, Butte County<1% of 351
- Rupert CCD, Minidoka County0% of 32
- Arco CCD, Butte County0% of 107
- Shoshone CCD, Lincoln County0% of 34
- Jerome CCD, Jerome County0% of 97
Sources
- Individual samples from the USGS Water Quality Portal and state monitoring, summarized per geography. uranium counts and shares are listed on each county and town page with their sources.